The You I See
by ManarInMoon
Summary: Petra Quill, Peter's twin sister, finds her match-made-in-heaven, Rocket. Problem? She's human, he's a man stuck in a raccoon's body. Who is Petra Quill? What makes her special? How do both her and Rocket end up falling for each other? Can the physical difference be overlooked, or is it too much? Will something happen that would make that problem completely irrelevant? Read to find
1. 1: Fishing For Orbs

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my character, Petra, and the slight changes. All credits return to the MCU.**

 **...**

"Ugh! This is taking forever!" yelled a very nervous Petra, tapping her foot impatiently. The red-head knelt back in the pilot seat, spinning on its wheels in an anxious behavior. Her only company was the revving of the Milano's engines.

Her eyes wandered nervously about planet Morag from behind the ship's protective windscreen. She was parked a few ways from the abandoned temple, which they were informed held the object they were sent to retrieve, a supposedly expensive orb.

Field missions always put her on edge. She wasn't used to them, and had no intention of trying to do so. The Quill would much rather spend her time in the engine room, designing new weapons and gadgets for her and Pete, her favorite and only hobby.

But, this time, it was different, because, this time, they weren't doing it **for** Yondu, they were doing it to get **away** from him, or, more accurately, the Ravagers, a large group of pity thieves and small criminals.

Peter and Petra, fraternal twins, orphans, their mother died of cancer, and they have no memory of their father, not even a photo.

Abducted from their home planet, Earth, the two were taken in and personally raised by a Zatoan named Yondu Udonta, who was also the leader of the infamous Ravagers. What luck, right?

Things were horrible, then got better, then worse. The Quills had built a name for themselves amongst the Ravagers. They were fairly skilled and worked great together, however, with the kind of people they worked with, they gained haters instead of fans, which meant that both twins were bullied on a daily basis to an unbearable point.

Yondu, being their number one, and only fan/boss/closest thing to a father, a terrible one, he did his best to keep this from happening, that included threatening people, or talking the twins up, but there was only so much one man could do.

Deep down, he knew that, someday, he was going to lose them, he just never expected it to happen so quickly, nor did he expect it to hurt so badly.

The siblings were well aware of their potential and sought more of their lives, but it wasn't like they could send Yondu their resignations and be on their merry ways. No. There was no leaving the Ravagers, at least that was how the Zatoan put it.

And that's when they came up with a plan.

They would keep it quiet until they were offered another job, which happened to be retrieving that orb from Morag. They would go through the whole mission, but instead of returning to Yondu afterwards, the siblings were to run and never look back, something they knew he wouldn't let slide.

It wasn't like Yondu had a choice anyways. If he looked past this and let them go, the Ravagers wouldn't take it. They would question his authority and jump at the chance to kick him out of the throne. And, he knew, if someone else took charge, they wouldn't just re-capture the Quills, they would **kill** them, and the only way he was gonna let that happen was over his dead body, because, no matter how hard he tried to hide it, deep down, he really did care for them, it's been so long after all, they'd grown on him, and he'd grown on them, which made leaving the hardest decision the twins ever had to make, especially Petra.

She halted to a stop, pulled over towards the com system, pressed down the green button and spoke, "Hey, dip-shit! Come in," she called, replied to only with static. _'That's weird. Wasn't how it was seven minutes ago,'_ she thought. Her concerns growing. If the Ravagers found out what they were doing, they'd swoop down any minute, take them back, and make sure they never got another chance to leave again, something that simply couldn't happen.

"Peter?" she called again. Static..."Shit."

Just when she thought things couldn't get worse than losing contact, her peripheral vision caught movement in the surrounding, toxic fog. Petra cautiously turned off the ship's engine, ducking her head down, as if that would protect her if they decided to shoot.

She perked her head up slightly, sighing in relief upon discovering it wasn't them, but it wasn't better either.

Petra fused up her hand-made gauntlet blasters, preparing for the worst. She clicked the coms again, speaking with haste, "Peter, if you can hear me, a bunch of Kree-holes just crashed the party." Again, static. "Damn it!" she whisper-yelled.

Her concerns began rising with her heartbeat. She could see the mercenaries approaching the ship with suspicion, and her damned brother was yet to show.

But if there was one thing her sibling could do, it was handle himself almost anywhere, so she was sure he was fine. However, if he didn't make an appearance soon, the Milano was probably going to turn into a gigantic canvas painted in Kree blood, something he'd be less than happy with.

 _'No one told him to lag behind,'_ Petra thought.

Just then, the blonde spoken of made a smashing appearance, literally smashing his head on the ground as he exited the supposedly abandoned temple in haste with his rocket-boosters, or Roosters, for short. _'That's gonna leave a mark,_ ' he thought.

Picking himself up, Peter ran with all his might, praying the wrathful Kree-freak following furiously would just leave him be.

Alarm bells rang in his head when he spotted another group of dip-shits nearing his ship. **His**. **Ship**. And sister, of course.

The mercenaries opened fire, attempting several shots at the well-trained 'wing it' man. Thinking fast, Quill threw a Gravangle (Gravity-Triangle), one of Petra's many handy inventions, at a spot on the ground near the huddled Kree, forcing them to be thrown on and stuck to it together as the happy group they were.

Starlord then boosted himself high up and into the ship's open hatch, landing, well, falling, right next to Petra. "Drive!" he barked. The twin complied, still shocked, and slightly excited, from the sudden turn of events.

Petra had already started the ship. She brought up the Milano's navigation system, getting the ship up in the air, the Kree below wildly shooting at them.

"You might wanna hold on to something," she smirked. Peter hurriedly did as told. _'Shit,'_ he thought, knowing exactly just how crazy his sister's driving could get, especially when under pressure.

Peter sat on the adjacent pilot chair, death-gripping its arms. "Why didn't you warn me about the Kree?!" he yelled over the commotion, eyes going wide as Petra sharply turned a corner, jerking them to the side.  
"I tried! But the coms were out!" she shouted back.

Their conversation was cut short when an appeared-out-of-nowhere geyser puked out an impossible amount of water, shooting up the bottom of the Milano.

The two Quills were vigorously shoved up. Petra was smart enough to buckle up. Her idiotic brother, however, didn't. She momentarily lost control of the ship and, while she stayed stable, Peter was sent flying from his seat, thrown, face first, into the windscreen, then back down.

Swaying and smashing from side to side, Peter screamed pain-filled cruses at his current situation. "Hang on!" Petra assured, regaining control of the falling-at-a-dangerous-altitude ship. Her heart almost beat out of her chest as the Milano neared the ground threateningly, right before she was able to fully pull up.

"Ha, HA, HAA!" she laughed out hysterically. _'I did it!'_ she thought excitedly.  
"Ugh..." she heard.

Petra looked over her shoulder. Peter was on the floor, on his back, breathing heavily as his brain was wiring back to (I've stopped spinning). "You alright?" she grinned.  
"Just dandy," he mocked.

"Peter?!" The pink Krylorian chick called in fear, startling both Quills. Another one of Peter's many one-nights flings. "What happened?" She asked frantically.  
"Hey!...uh...uhhh"-  
"Bereet," Petra called lowly to limit her dumb brother's further embarrassment.  
"Bereet!" he repeated loudly, as if he already knew.

Peter thought over. _'Need an Excuse! Any Excuse! Think, you idiot!...Screw it.'_ "Look, I'm gonna be totally honest with you. I forgot you were here," he blathered out, making his sister scoff and the Krylorian eye him in disbelief.

Peter glared at Petra, who had slapped a hand over her mouth to stop from laughing out loud.


	2. 2: A Broke Broker

"Hey," Peter called to his twin, who was fixing up more coffee by the kitchen counter, her third cup since sunrise. He approached her. "Any luck on figuring out what that orb does?" he peeked curiously.  
"Nope," she replied solely.  
"That's it?" he asked sarcastically. She cocked an eyebrow at him in annoyance.

Knowing his sister, the first thing she'd do after getting a new toy, was study it's every detail, and explain said details to her usually uninterested brother, but at least she would be happy doing so...now however.

Peter sighed tiredly. "Come on, Tri! You have **got** to loosen up!" he tells. She rolls her eyes. Exactly how was she supposed to do that with all that guilt piling up against her? "This is what we want! Remember?" he whispers so Bereet doesn't interfere.

Petra sighs. "Yes, I remember, Peter. I was there!" she retorts tiredly.  
"Okay, good. Cause we're about to get a whole load of money for that orb. And when we do, you and I are gonna take a nice, looong vacation. On a beach. With actual sand," he tells, making her chuckle slightly, which in return, put a smile on his face. "There you go! Smile, girl! We're free birds now!" He punches her playfully. She laughs out, something he was fairly grateful for. There was no way he would be able to go through this without her full approval and content.

A soft beeping signaled a phone call that caught both Quills' attention. "Peter, you have a call," Bereet, who was with them in said kitchen, informed innocently. The two Quills recognized the blue-skinned caller, eyes going wide as the Krylorian's hand reached out to answer.  
"No! No! Wait! Don't"- Peter started, storming towards her, but it was too late.

"Quill!" A very ticked off Yondu appeared on the wide screen across the small kitchen table. Petra was, fortunately, still out of sight, but Peter wasn't so lucky.

With his back to the screen, Bereet mouthed him an apologetic (Oops) as the Zatoan shot lasers at the back of his head. _'Shit,'_ Peter thought before speaking up. "Hey, Yondu," he greeted casually. The blue male ignored it.  
"I'm here on Morag, and there ain't no orb, ain't no you OR Petra! Where is that girl?!" he questioned furiously. Bereet and Peter looked her way. "I don't wanna talk to you, I wanna talk to her!" Yondu insisted.

Peter wasn't entirely offended by that. His sister had better control over her mouth and temper than he ever did. He knew that, Yondu knew that, and almost anyone who knew Petra knew that about her. However, he feared her hesitance should she come face to face with Yondu after the incident.

Petra was still facing the cupboard, hands clenching the counter's surface till her knuckles turned white. She couldn't ignore him forever. She kept reminding herself that this **had** to be done, and if Yondu was of a sense-full mind, he'd understand. But she knew still, he wasn't going to make this easy.

The girl sighed, built up her courage, and walked over to the screen. "Petra!" Yondu exclaimed when she appeared in front of him.

"Hey, Yondu," she replied grimly, not wanting to meet his eyes. Her twin eyed her warily. _'Damn it, Bereet!'_ he thought, hating that his sister had to be put in this position.

Yondu felt a needle stab at his heart. It was happening, they really were leaving him. But no, he had to try. "Peta, girl. Tell me where you at," he demanded softly, nicknaming her hopefully.

Petra bit her tongue and clenched her jaw, trying to pull it together. The tension was as thick as a fog. "I can't do that, Yondu," she replied firmly. Peter smiled proudly at how strong she was trying to be in that very moment.

The Zatoan's face turned slightly purple from utter rage, and, as much as he'd hate to admit it, it really hurt, especially coming from her. "I slaved! puttin' this deal"- he started, but Peter cut him off.  
"Slaved?! Making a few calls is ' _slaved_ '?" he questioned in mock, Petra rolling her eyes as well, _'Always the drama queen,'_ she thought, feeling tears well up in her eyes upon recalling just how much she'd miss his drama.

The two males argued back and forth, and Petra honestly stopped listening, too lost in her own thoughts, reminding herself time and again **why** they were doing this, and that it **was** worth it. Then she heard Yondu say the same words, tell the same story, he'd been using as an excuse to keep the two Quills by his side for years. The story of how when he'd picked them, abducted, more accurately, for reasons he refused to share, aside from telling them he was protecting them. From what? he never said. He did well at reminding them, however, that his men wanted to **dine** on them, and that he'd **heroically** stopped them.

Out of frustration, irritation, and a dire need for exploding, Petra walked up to the screen and, without saying a word, shut the phone in Yondu's berry-blue face.

Peter eyed his sister in slight shock and impressment. "Well, that solves that," he noted plainly. Petra rooted to her spot, arms crossed, eyes on the floor. Peter knew the look well. She was thinking, and they sure as hell weren't happy thoughts. "You alright?" he asked in concern. _'Of course she isn't, jackass!'_

Petra ignored the question. "You realize he's gonna come looking for us," she states instead. Peter takes a moment to think. Of course he knew that, it was part of the plan. The Quill boy nodded solely, Bereet eyeing the siblings in confusion and concern, for herself, not for them.

Petra sighed tiredly, walking off and up to the flight deck. Peter followed and spoke after her. "But we already knew that, Tri!" he nicknamed.

She flopped down on her pilot chair, her sibling sitting across her on his own seat. He leaned forward, clenching his hands together, Petra noted this as his (I'm serious) look, something he didn't do often, which was why she listened intently to his next words. "Look, I know you and Yondu were close"- she cut him off.  
"It's not that, Peter," the girl sighed tiredly, honestly not wanting to go through this again, unwilling making her brother tense up. "It's just not going to be easy getting used to," she explained, knowing he only partially understood.

 _'But I have to...I_ ** _will_** _,'_ she thought determinedly. She then turned to him, observing her warily, unsure what to say or do. Petra then smiled at her twin in reassurance. "But I'll be okay. Don't worry," she told bravely.

Peter didn't fully believe that, but he knew she would try, and he would help her, starting now. "You sure?" he asks. She nods. "Do-do you need a hug?" he suggests, she shakes her head, but he gets up to do so anyways, another one of his silly attempts to ruffle her feathers. "Cause I could give you a hug if you want," he continues, throwing his whole weight onto her.  
"No! Peter-Get-Off!" she tells, suffocating. He stands, grinning teasingly. She gets up and shoves him out of her way.  
"Ass-hole," she smirks. He followed victoriously, succeeding, yet again, at lifting up his sister's sour mood.

* * *

At last, the siblings landed on Xander, where they were informed of the buyer's location. The two siblings strolled the planets beautiful patterns in search of a pawn shop that belonged to a man that went by the name Broker.

In the distance, Rocket, the raccoon, eyed his tree friend, Groot, who was happily drinking away the water shooting out of a fountain, in utter shock and disgust. "Groot!" he exclaimed. The half man-half tree ignored him and continued in his attempt to push said water into his mouth. "Don't drink fountain water, you idiot, that's disgusting!" Rocket tried to explain.

Groot stopped momentarily, stood straight up, and innocently shook his head from side to side in denial. "Yes you did! I just saw you doing it! Why you lyin'?" Rocket asked irritably.

The holographic analyzer in his smallish hands had a go at beeping. "Whoop!" Rocket grinned. He inspected the device thoroughly. "Looks like we got one," he noted, looking through the device and onto his newly-found, Terran targets.

The Raccoon smirked mischievously. "Okay, humies. How bad does someone wanna find you?" he asked, mainly himself. "Twenty thousand each?! Groot! We're gonna be rich!" Rocket yelled excitedly, turning back to his friend, his face falling as he watched his tree-partner return to being watered like the tree he was.

* * *

"Hey! We had a deal, bro!" yelled Peter at the Broker, who had just refused to buy said orb once discovering it's true owner, rudely shoving both Quills out of his shop and closing up for the day.

Petra, like her brother, was considerably pissed, but was able to hold back her rage and think straight. "It's okay. We'll just find someone else," she told her fuming sibling, not yet noticing the green Zen-Whoberi leaning on the wall of the shop, nibbling something in her hand.

This was Gamora, adopted daughter of Thanos, and the last of her kind. Nicknamed 'the deadliest woman in the galaxy', but the Quills were non-the-wiser about that.

She was sent, to retrieve the orb for Ronan, but that wasn't her intention. "What happened?" she asked casually, gaining the siblings' attention.

Peter blank-faced, giving the fit woman an admiring once-over. Petra saw his face, her eyes almost rolled to the back of her head at her twin's typical behavior.

Petra never approved of Peter's over...well, slutty behavior. The amount of women he slept with in a month was overwhelming, and when she'd complain about it, he'd act as though **she** was the one with the problem and that she should (loosen up), whatever that meant.

"This guy just backed out of a deal on me," he explained. "If there's one thing I hate, it's a man without integrity." _'Yeah. Right,'_ Petra thought. "Peter Quill. They call me Starlord," her brother stated seriously, making Gamora smirk, or, more accurately, pretend to smirk. _'Always the charmer,'_ Petra wandered.

"You have the bearing of a man of honor," the greened woman flirted, doing the best she could to further distract the already distracted idiot. _'So close,'_ she thought, just before the female sibling decided to intervene.

"Well, you know, I wouldn't say that"- Petra cut her brother off, stepping in front of him before the game would wrap up and they'd end up with another whore on board.  
"You wouldn't say anything, because there are places you have to be. Right, _Starlord_?" she asked hintingly, wanting desperately to leave.

Peter glared a warning at his sister, pleading her not to ruin his chances with (this very attractive woman) was what he would surely want to say. Petra, who smiled as nicely as possible at the lady, pushing her brother back to leave, noted something very troubling.

The woman didn't look jealous, nor annoyed. No. She looked **cautious**. _'Why would she be cautious?'_ Petra thought.

And so, her question was answered by a brutal kick to the stomach.


	3. 3: Clashin' In Xander

"Oww! My back!" Petra hissed.

In the blink of an eye, Peter was hovering above her. "You good?" he asked, extremely concerned, and purely furious.  
"Yeah," she replied, rubbing at the back of her head.

Petra's eyes wandered at the green-skinned chick running off with what looked to be... _'Is that the Orb?!'_ thought Petra. "Good. I'm goin' after the bitch," Peter told sternly.

The Quill got onto his feet, pulled out a laser-made bolas, or a Las for short, also Petra-made. Peter aimed and threw it, tackling Gamora to the ground.

Gamora huffed furiously. _'Why did he have to fight back?'_ she wondered tiredly. She really didn't want to hurt him, or anyone at that, so why did he have to give her no other choice?

She turned on her back, untied herself, and gave the Quill a breath-taking double-hit to the stomach using her feet.

As the two fought from place to place, Ptra was picking herself up and regaining her balance. She then began searching through the gathering crowds for her sibling, following the damage made by said sibling and the crazed green woman.

Just then, she spotted them, beating the heck out of each other on the ground not too far away, people gathering to watch, and the worst part was, her brother didn't look like he was winning. _'Who the heck is this lady?!'_ Petra thought irritably, and fearfully.

Thinking things couldn't get worse, the red-head was suddenly tackled to the ground. Thrown onto her back, Petra looked down her to see... _'Is that a freaking raccoon?!'_

Rocket scurried up to meet her face, gripping both her arms before she could comprehend what was happening, Groot readying a giant sack behind them. He broke into a grin. "Be still, sweetheart," he told. She could detect a threating tone to the talking creature, but she couldn't focus on that! Her dumb twin was in some seriously deep shit.

"My brother!" Petra yelled out, her head out stretching to see if he was still breathing. Rocket looked in the same direction. There was no way he was about to lose twenty thousand units because some green-creep decided to crash the party.

"I got em covered," he assured, mostly himself. "Groot! Keep her still!" Rocket ordered, scurrying off to save his other twenty thousand.

Petra felt as though she almost would have died when she saw the woman get on her twin and pull out a can-definitely-kill katana sword. However, she was somewhat relieved when the raccoon jumped the Zen-Whoberi, who struggled with him and his claws extremely.

Now having more time for her current situation, Petra felt herself being lifted upside down and into the air. "Wow!" she exclaimed. Having hadn't noticed before, Petra eyed the **tree-man** gripping her tightly with his wooden arms in utter shock. He was smiling at her too. Petra had never felt more creeped out.

Well-aware now, she could feel the adrenaline rush through her blood as a much-needed rescue party. With slight struggle, Petra aimed one of her gauntlet-blasters, or Gasters, at the creature's wood-made belly.

Groot shrieked in slight pain at the sudden impact, loosening his grip and giving Petra enough time to wiggle out, falling back to the ground.

Scurrying onto her feet, Petra jumped off the not-so-high-up bridge, rolling onto the concert floor. If she wasn't so pumped up, that probably would have hurt, a lot.

Just as she'd straightened her landing away from the tree-man, Petra's eyes fell on the current source of her misery, which could also be a great source of joy, aka, wealth. So, acting on instinct, Petra rushed forward and picked up the Orb. However, she immediately regret it when her brother's attempted murderer appeared right before her.

Hoping her brother was fine, Petra prayed she too would make it out of this alive. She raised her hands suggestively. "You don't have to do this," she plead.  
"Yes. I do," was Gamora's sole reply before she leaped forward, attempting a punch at the clearly weaker-in-compact female.

Petra may not have been as strong as the assassin, but she wasn't totally helpless. Petra successfully evaded the attack. She tried a quick kick at Gamora's leg and it worked, only because the assassin wasn't expecting much of a fight.

With her back still to the Quill girl, Gamora tried elbowing her down, but Petra turned just at the right moment to evade it, however, she didn't see the punch coming from a mile away when it hit her in the face.

Petra fell for the umpteenth time that day, her face hurting like hell. "Son of a"-  
"HEY, HUMIE!" yelled an on-the-floor Rocket, lying some ways on the ground from her.

Having battled the beastly woman himself, Rocket knew the girl stood no chance without some fire power. Though, he hoped she wouldn't remember the fact that he'd tried to kidnap her and she'd end up shooting him instead.

Rocket slide a gun to her on the concrete, yet slippery, floor, which she caught with ease, turning at just the right moment to stop Gamora from throwing another punch the minute she saw the blaster.

The Zen-Whoberi hastily jumped out of the way the second Petra let out a shot. She quickly caught sight of the Orb near the floored Quill and wasted no time in grabbing it and storming off before Petra knew what the heck was going on.

"Damn it!" cursed Petra as she witnessed the thief get away. _'So, that's what it feels like to get robbed,'_ she couldn't help thinking.

Fortunately, her brother swooped in, literally from the sky and onto the green runner. The two were on the floor, thrashing like it was the end of the world. Gamora took lead again, but Peter was smarter this time. _'Fool me once, shame on you,'_ he thought as he connected his boosters onto her, _'fool me twice,'_ he pressed the activation button and Gamora was sent flying off and thrown into the water fountain, her head hitting its build, hard, _'you get rocket-blasted into a fountain,'_ the Quill thought happily.

Petra hurried over to her sibling. "Are you alright?" she questioned worriedly, looking him over. Other than the bluing bruises and small cuts, he was fine.

"Yeah," Peter groaned miserably. At least he got the Orb.

When his eyesight returned to normal, Peter had no time to take action against the giant sack the siblings were suddenly, and quickly, being shoved into.

"Quit smiling, ya idiot. You're supposed to be a professional," Rocket grinned at Groot, finally having won, or at least he thought he did, until that green, ugly monster made a grand come back. "You gotta be kidding me," he whined.

Gamora tiredly face-palmed Rocket out of her way, a gesture which ignited his inner most anger.

Groot, noting the situation, immediately intervened. He stood bravely against the assassin, only to be sliced at vigorously, eventually ending up with two cut off arms!

Gamora hurried over to the sack, where both Quills were slyly hiding, waiting for anyone to come near them. Peter had his gun high and aimed, so the minute the Zen-Whoberi showed her face, Peter tazed the heck out of her.

"Come on!" he barked at his sibling. The two zoomed off as fast as humanly possible, but Rocket wasn't having it.

"I live for the simple things," he started, pulling out one of his gigantic weaponry inventions, "like how much this is gonna hurt," he smirked, shooting one single shot at the Quill boy, laughing victoriously. "Yeah! Writhe little man!"

"Peter!" Petra exclaimed, falling by him as he was being harshly electrocuted by whatever the heck hit him. She didn't touch him though; she wasn't stupid.

Rocket aimed for her next, but hesitated ever so slightly. She just looked...too innocent to shoot. He hummed in annoyance.

"Oh, screw it," he pulled the trigger and shot her anyways.

He needed that money, and he was gonna get it.

Rocket heard a whimpering sound from his side. He turned to see it was Groot, sadly complaining about his severed arms. "It'll grow back, ya daft idiot! Quit whining," he told tiredly.

Suddenly, without warning, a dozen Nova Corp drones decided to make an unannounced entrance. Using their gravitational fields on the strange due, and Gamora, the officers pulled the criminals off the ground, hovering them in the air.

"Subject 89P13, drop your weapon," the officer in the drone commanded.

If there was one thing Rocket hated most, it was being called by that name, that cursed, laboratory name. But there was no time to think of that. The raccoon realized that his imprisonment was imminent, again.  
"Oh, crap," he sighed.

The two Quills themselves were personally arrested by Corpsman Rhomann Dey, a trusted, high-ranked officer, and his fellow comrades. "Hey!" the officer exclaimed over the man in the drone, reading Rocket and Groot's rights, "I recognize these two!"

While Petra rolled her eyes at that, her brother was quite content with the recognition, until..."If it isn't Star Prince!" Dey noted at the blonde, whose face fell at the false recognition, his sister chuckling away.  
"Star **lord**!"


	4. 4: Prison Greeting Cards

Transported to Nova HQ, the five convicts were individually inspected and analyzed as the board chose what to do with them. Eventually Denarian Garthan Saal made an overly-exaggerated decision of sending all five to the well-secured Kyln prison facility.

While Groot and Gamora were transferred separately, due to their physical strengths, Peter, Petra, and Rocket were transferred together.

The three sat silently in one of the transfer units, hand-cuffed in a lone, metal-made room, the guards and pilot outside the steel break-me-if-you-dare door to the right wall.

Petra couldn't help contemplating the fact that things quickly spiraled out of hand the minute they made the decision to leave. But a small reminder of how their lives were before that brought her back to her senses. She sighed tiredly. It wasn't like their current situation was any better. After all, they were headed to PRISON!

She'd never been to one before, so she had no idea what it was like. _'Well, it ain't gonna be pretty!'_ her mind exclaimed. As if she needed more reasons to fear the destination. _'It'll be okay. It'll be okay,'_ she tried.

"This is just great!" Peter yelled sarcastically, interrupting her thoughts, "Just fucking fantastic!"

"Peter, keep it down!" Petra warned from beside him on the bench. "The **last** thing we need right now, is **more** conflict," she stressed.

"Listen to your sister, Quill," Rocket told tiredly, lying down on the bench opposite them, eyeing the ceiling with little interest. "She's clearly the brains of the organization."

Unknowingly, the raccoon had fed into the male Quill's burning rage. "YOU! You do NOT SPEAK!" Peter yelled furiously. "We wouldn't be IN this mess if it wasn't for YOU!"

Rocket scrunched his eyebrows. _'Seriously?!'_ he thought. The raccoon sat up straight. "Me?!" he exclaimed. "I'm sorry, was **I** the one who decided to slip off from Yondu and his gang of dimwits?!"

"We'd have done it quite nicely too, had you and that **thing** kept your noses in your own shit!" Peter argued.

 _'This is getting out of hand,'_ Petra thought.

"It was gonna happen **with** or without my involvement, pretty boy," Rocket told mockingly.

" **Enough**!" Petra demanded, leaning out of her seat slightly, exchanging glances between both stubborn males. She turned to her twin calmly. "He's right, Peter. This would have happened sooner or later," she explained.

Peter's eyes fell. He knew what the risks were when they made the decision, but he was hoping to evade them, and was furious that he couldn't. It felt too soon to get into trouble, and yet, here they were.

"See?" Rocket smirked.  
" **But** ," Petra glared his way, wiping the smirk off his face. "nothing's going to change if we keep at each other's throats. So for the sake of getting out of this alive, you two need to **grow** up," she stressed.

A heavy moment passed. The two males glared at one another. There was no point in arguing indeed, so, eventually, Peter stretched out his cuffed hand, rolling his eyes in annoyance like a child.

Rocket eyed it in confusion for a second, stubbornly reluctant, then smirked. _'Oh, what the heck,'_ he wondered, accepting Peter's peace treaty and shaking his largish, disturbingly soft hand.

* * *

"This shouldn't be too bad, right? I mean, it's Nova Corp," Petra stated, concern dripping from her every word. If there was one thing Petra was bad at, it was hiding her emotions.

The five convicts walked in line-form towards wherever the guards led them in the doesn't-take-no-shit prison facility. "I guess **most** in Nova Corp wanna uphold the law, but **these** ones here? Their **corrupt** and **cruel** ," Rocket explained truthfully, uncaringly raising the red-head's concerns. Sugarcoating shit just wasn't his style. "But, hey," he chuckled, "I ain't gonna be here long. I've escaped **twenty-two** prisons. This one's no different."

 _'That sounds interesting,'_ Peter thought. As so, the highly intelligent raccoon was analyzing all that surrounded him, slowly deducing exactly **what** he'd be using to plan the grand break out. "You're lucky the board showed up," Rocket spoke, pointedly at the Quills, "otherwise me and Groot would be collecting that bounty. Right. Now."

Petra turned cautiously to the tree spoken of, marching calmly behind her brother and herself. He smiled softly at her, making her turn forward once more, still crept out by the thought of how cute and innocent-looking said tree was, despite the attempt to sack her. However, it seemed clear that Rocket was the brains, and Groot was the muscle, so he was probably harmless unless told otherwise by the raccoon, because, with those big eyes and that soft smile, she couldn't help comparing him to a kitten.

Petra smiled to herself, it's been a while since she'd thought of such delicacies. If they were to make it out of the hold alive, she was getting a goddamn pet, no Yondu to reject it now. It's weird how free she felt, despite being in prison. She was sure now, leaving the Ravagers was the right decision.

"And you'd be getting drawn and cornered by Yondu and those Ravagers," Rocket continued. Petra rolled her eyes at that.  
"Can we **not** discuss this right now?" she plead tiredly, not wanting another quarrel to arouse as she warily eyed Gamora at the very front, unsure what to expect from her.  
"Why?" Rocket inquired from in front of her, grinning as he looked up at her face.

To the others, Rocket was thigh-high, but to her short posture, he went higher than her waist, which was a lot. _'Damn, I'm short!'_ thought Petra. "Afraid of losin' to me, Red?" he teased. She cocked a (Really?) eyebrow at him, Peter speaking up from behind her.

"We've had a lot of folks try to kill us over the years. We ain't about to be brought down by a tree and a talking raccoon," He told.  
"HOLD," the guard behind them commanded. They did as told without complaint as said guard opened up the bared front door.  
"What's a _raccoon_?" Rocket asked in disgust at the word, Petra smiling at the reaction as her brother gave a subtle scoff.  
" _'What's a raccoon?'_ It's what you are, stupid," her brother retorted.

Rocket did his best to ignore the comment, too focused on his surroundings to get into argument, but that didn't stop him from talking back. "Ain't no thing like me, 'cept me," he banged at his chest for emphasis.

Gamora looked behind her and at them tiredly. _'For god's sake, just shut up,'_ she wished. Peter caught her eyes, making her look away before he would comment, but he did anyways. "So this Orb has a real shiny blue suitcase, arc of the covenant, Maltese Falcon sorta vibe. What is it?" he asked, pointing the question to her.  
"I am Groot. (She won't answer you.)" Groot said from directly behind him. Of course, the only person that actually understood him, due to the translating implant in his brain, was Rocket.  
"So what?" Peter inquired, then turned back to the Zen-Whoberi, who did exactly what Groot told him, or tried telling him, she would.  
"I have no words for an honor-less thief," she spat, making Rocket scoff.  
"Pretty high and mighty, coming from the lackey of a genocidal maniac," he retorted, making the other three's eyes go wide, but hers went wider with **shame** , shame that Petra couldn't help picking up on.

But Gamora knew what she was, she knows what she's **done** , and she knows it'll probably take her a million years to redeem herself, but she has to start somewhere, and that wasn't happening if she didn't find a way out of here. Peter wasn't the only one who found Rocket's (I've escaped twenty-two prisons.) comment interesting.

"Yeah. I know who you are. Anyone who's anyone knows who you are," he shot.  
"Yeah, we know who you are!" Peter yelled proudly, his sister eyeing him doubtfully.  
"No, we don't," she retorted.  
"Yes, we do!" he glared a (Don't make me look bad.) at her.

Peter turned to Groot, of all people. "Who is she?" he asked, a question that was replied to by a sole (I am Groot.) yet again. "Yeah, ya said that," Peter told irritably, his sister nudging an elbow at him.  
"Leave him alone," she told tiredly, wishing he'd shut the hell up.

He eyed her perplexedly, the green-skin cutting their petty talk short. "I wasn't retrieving the Orb **for** Ronan. I was betraying him," she explained, shocking most of them, especially Rocket, who knew much more about her than any of the others did. "I had an agreement to sell it to a third party," she continued, peeking the interest of the Quills, who too had tried, and failed, to sell the supposedly expensive Orb.  
"Who?" Petra asked hopefully.

Gamora gave her a glare that made Petra wish she was as short as Rocket so as not to be seen from behind him. _'Break the ice, Petra. Break it,'_ she thought hastily. "Sorry I asked," she raised her cuffed hands slightly in surrender.  
"I am Groot. (Be careful, Red.)" tried Groot, making Rocket scoff, silently agreeing.  
"Well, that's just as fascinating as the first eighty-nine times you told me that," Peter sighed suddenly. "What is wrong with Giving-tree here?" he asked irritably.  
"Peter. Stop," Petra plead with exhaustion, hoping he would just leave the tree be.  
"What?" Peter whined as Rocket gave a smile. _'At least someone's trying to shut this idiot up,'_ he thought, and so for the Red-head's sake, he decided to explain.  
"He don't know talkin' good like me and you, so his vocabulistics are limited to (I) and (Am) and (Groot), exclusively in that order," he told, Petra pitying the poor tree.  
"Well, I'll tell you what, that's gonna wear real thin, real fast, if I"- Peter complained, his blabbering cut short when... _'Oh My God! Is that MY Walkman?!'_

Rocket had deduced that they were headed towards the washrooms as they passed the equipment room. What had attracted Peter's attention, however, was the blue-skinned guard in said room, listening to **his** music. "Hey!" yelled Peter. "Put that away!" he demanded.

"Peter!" Petra warned, immediately stepping in front of him, having full knowledge of exactly how ludicrous her twin could act for that thing, but she knew why too. "Just walk away," she attempted, but as the guard decided to lock himself in, Peter pushed his sister aside. "Hey!" she complained, him slipping into the room just before the door cut him in half.

"Listen to me, you big blue bastard! Take those headphones off! That's mine! Those belong to me, and that tape and that player IS MINE!" were the last words out of the Quill boy's mouth before the guard stood furiously from his seat and tazed the shit out of him.

Petra sighed tiredly, taking hold of the door bars, relaxing her hammering head on them as she watched her stupid brother get his ass kicked for that godforsaken thing, a fourth time. _'What a day?'_


	5. 5: Not A Nice Stay

After the interesting turn of events, thanks to her brother's idiocy, the group, with a very in-pain Peter, were separated by gender to the washrooms.

Oh, they were washed, just not by water.

"Hey!" yelled an almost naked Petra at the rude guard who shoved her into the adjacent room after soaking her in orange puke.

 _'Fuck,'_ was the one thought that ran in Petra's head upon discovering that the only other person present in the room with her, was Gamora. _'Stay calm, stay calm.'_

Gamora heard her approaching a mile away, but the silence that flooded the room now made it quite obvious that, just like everyone else, the Terran was wary for her life around the well-known assassin.

She smiled sadly. _'What a monster I've become,_ ' Gamora thought. _'But no,'_ she insisted. The Zen-Whoberi turned to the Quill girl, only to see her awkwardly standing by the door way in her undergarments, which were as orange as her loose hair and skin now were too, arms crossed protectively over her chest, eyeing her with great caution. "Relax, Terran. I have no intentions of harming you," Gamora told.

Petra observed the assassin carefully, studying her calm movements towards the hair-band's box lying on one of the surrounding crates.

She may not have known much about Gamora, or her past, but it was clear enough that the woman loathed herself, and was doing her best to change things, that included justifying her betrayal to Ronan, something she didn't need to do, but she **wanted** people to see her differently, and Petra didn't take that lightly.

"It's Petra," the Quill tried too as she approached a laid out towel, and a yellow outfit that was similar to the one Gamora now wore, only Petra's had sleeves that went slightly further than her elbow, while Gamora's was sleevless.

Gamora, who sat on one of the boxes, attempting a time-killing braid as she waited for the other female present to get dressed so they were allowed to join the others, she eyed the Quill in slight shock at the fairly friendly reply, words that she more than appreciated.

"So," Petra inquired, wiping at her soaked hair, "backstabbing a 'genocidal maniac' as Rocket put it. What gives?"

The assassin cocked an eyebrow, but upon realizing that the getting-dressed red-head was serious, she gave a sigh. _'I might as well tell someone,'_ she thought. "I have done things that I am not proud of, things I would not be given the chance to stop doing if I were to stay under Ronan's command," answered Gamora grimly.

Petra, who was pulling her hair up as per usual, couldn't help but freeze at the depth of Gamora's words. She could tell the woman before her was drowning in her own guilt. How awful that was like, Petra was yet to find out.

And before getting the chance to do so, a guard stomped into the room, motioning for the two females to move, and they did as told.

* * *

"You son of a"- started a wrathful Peter at the guard who shoved him into the dressing room.

About to push back, Peter was rounded up by four, small, red, armed drones, hovering near his head. Having no choice, the male reluctantly gave up his stubbornness, retiring to the lain out yellow jumpsuits around him. The drones leave, and as he was dressing, his fellow convict, and his ticket out of the Kyln, the raccoon, was just as rudely pushed into the room.

The animal acknowledged his presence with little interest, aiming for getting dressed as fast as possible in the small jumpsuit personally handed to him before the Terran could ask any questions.

Rocket could feel the Quill's eyes on him. He growled irritably, turning to him with only the pants on. "You done ogling, creep?" he spat.

Peter was eyeing the bolts and metallic scalps drilled into the creature's back with both disgust and pity. When Rocket turned, Peter's face fell to the ground, embarrassed. He raised a hand. "Sorry. I didn't mean to..." he stated, then frowned, "It's just...What happened to you, man?" he asked seriously.

Rocket grimaced at the question he was trying to avoid, pulling the shirt over his head, a distracting attempt to focus on something other than the flashbacks that threatened to consume him. "None. Of. Your. Business," Rocket warned firmly, shutting Peter up.

The conversation was cut short when the raccoon's tree friend was escorted into the room. "I am Groot. (Hello.)" he said, making Rocket roll his eyes at his friend's overly placid attitude, even in a goddamn prison, as Peter eyed the tree-man in confusion, wondering what on earth he was saying, or if he was saying anything at all.

Groot stomped over to the pile of jumpsuits, attempting to find one that fit him as Peter complained, "I can't believe they took my headphones! If I had my Roosters, I'd have"-  
"What the heck are 'Roosters'?" interrupted Rocket. Peter sighed irritably for being cut off, but answered anyways.  
"My rocket-boosters. Petra made them. And only **she** is allowed to come up with names for her weird, but awesome inventions, which is annoying, but acceptable," he explained contently.

Rocket's eyebrows furrowed. "Your **sister** made those?!" he exclaimed. Rocket had an eye for certain things, technical things, and those boots were definitly one of them. He had, secretly, planned on highjacking them when he had a firm hand on the Terrans, and anything else they held that he thought intresting enough. He still does.

Groot, who gave up looking for his size, leaned over a box and eared in on the conversation. "Oh, yeah. She makes tons of cool shit! She's good with the technical stuff, you see: weapons-making, gadgets, hacking. Stuff like that. She's a hell of a pilot too." Peter nodded. He'd never say those words outloud to her, but he always talked her up when he got the chance. People had a habit of underestimating her, and he didn't appreaciate it.  
"Huh," Rocket sounded, impressed.  
"I am Groot. (She could be useful.)" Groot pointed out to his friend.  
"Yeah, maybe," Rocket agreed, and before Peter could ask what they were talking about, a guard came in, telling them to move.

* * *

"Tri!" called Peter when his twin and the assassin walked out of their dressing room. The five convicts were stood in a hallway surrounded by several guards that were to escort them to the heart of the Kyln.

Petra approached her brother, acknowledging Rocket and Groot's presence. Peter put a firm hand on her shoulder. "You good?" he asked worriedly, pointing a look at the Zen-Whoberi behind her.

"Yeah," she assured, turning to Gamora, flashing her a friendly smile. "I'm okay." Gamora simply looked to the ground, unsure how to react. Rocket and Groot could tell that the two females had made somewhat of an acquaintance, which Rocket thought was stupid, considering Gamora's lively reputation, but he also didn't care, so long as his bag of units was still breathing.

The guards pushed the prisoners to move. At the end of the hallway, each was handed a sleeping bag. Crossing the threshold, Petra was awe-struck by the breath-taking, yet, terrifying sight of the highly-secured prison facility. _'It's a goddamn fortress!'_ she thought. Her brother's face held the same reaction. Gamora was unimpressed, and the duo had seen worse.

A few steps in, Peter was smacked in the face with rotten bread that was thrown from the second level up full of inmates, but it wasn't intended for him.

"MURDERER!"  
"YOU FIRST!"  
"WE'LL KILL YOU!" were all threats shouted directly at Ronan's ex-accomplice.

Gamora faced the floor, a wave of shame, guilt and self-hatred all hidden behind the brave mask she forced onto her weak self. Petra eyed her in pity, unsure how she could help her, or even if she should, but the Quill girl didn't know the assassin well enough to stick her neck out for her, especially when she seemed to be getting what she deserved, however, if there was one thing Petra believed in, it was second chances.

"Like I said," Rocket started, "she's got a rec. A lot of prisoners here lost their families to Ronan and his goons. She'll last a day, tops."  
"But the guards will protect her, right?" Petra asked him hopefully.  
"They're here to stop us from getting out. They don't care what we do to each other inside," Rocket explained.  
"Whatever nightmares the future holds," started Gamora, "are **dreams** compared to what's behind me," she assured, mostly herself. Petra eyed her strangely.  
"And that makes you feel better about yourself?" she couldn't help asking, making the assassin glare her way and Rocket give a chuckle.

 _'Who is_ ** _she_** _to judge?!'_ Gamora wondered furiously. What the assassin said was true, even if she wished with all her heart it wouldn't be, but she had to show that she could fairly defend herself if needed, she didn't need the pity of a Terran, nor the judgment.

Petra, who was hoping she wouldn't have said anything, fearing for her life, her attention, and everyone else's, was drawn to the large, blue man that neared her and Peter dangerously. "Check out the new meat," he called, eyeing the Quill girl from up to down with a wild hunger in his eyes, a look that set fear and frustration in her heart, but pure wrath in her brother's.

And Rocket, who usually had an I-don't give-a-fuck attitude about him, he too couldn't help getting ticked off by the filthy giant's intentions, Gamora as well.

 _'Men,'_ was the one thought that ran through the Zen-Whoberi's mind as she started picturing what she would do to him if he didn't back off right now.

The man reached out to stroke a fallen hair strand from Petra's face. "I'm gonna slather you up in"- Before anyone could react to that last straw, Groot, who was just as furious, stepped forward protectively.

To everyone's shock, the tree inserted two fingers into the inmate's nostrils, growing up and near his brain. The man screamed in pain as Groot began lifting him off the ground.

Rocket stepped up as well and spoke to all those present. "Let's make something clear," he started, re-attracting the attention of Petra, who was eyeing the suffering man with her mouth agape in awe and disgust. "these two here are **our** booty," he banged his chest for emphasis.

Though the Quills were thankful for the current protection, they didn't like being anyone's booty, but they let the raccoon believe that he actually **could** overpower them once they were to find an escape route, mostly because they needed him for that to actually happen.

"You wanna get to them, you go through us! **Or** , more accurately, we go through **you**!" he continued. On cue, Groot dropped the blue giant to the ground with a thud as the man cupped his precious nose in pain, a gesture that stroke fear into the hearts of all those present.

The duo walked off, expecting the Quills to follow, and on the way, Peter couldn't help saying, "We're with them."


	6. 6: Hell Of A Night

"Hey," greeted Petra warily, entering Gamora's cell/her cell. The assassin, who was lying on her bed, hands clenched on her belly, eyes fixated on the ceiling in deep thought, she did not reply.

The guards had informed Petra that she would be sharing a cell with Gamora, something her brother stood against strictly, but with the guards insisting threateningly, and the condition of the place the three males were to sleep, Petra had convinced her brother that it would be fine, and he was easily convinced considering the circumstances.

"Okay," Petra sighed, heading to her own bedding, readying it with the sleeping bag she was handed. _'Maybe she's angry at what I said,'_ thought the red-head, which struck guilt in her heart that she shouldn't be feeling, but she never liked upsetting anyone, so there was no way she was leaving it at that.

Gamora wasn't mad though. In fact, she'd forgotten about the whole thing. Little did Petra know that Gamora was a woman of few words. Life sculpted her so.

Petra mimicked Gamora's state, lying down as well. Petra thought about what to say. The last thing she needed was to sleep with one eye open, so, she decided to show the assassin that she did not mean to judge, but that she understood. A single sentence struck her mind, one out of the many books she'd read, that she thought fairly related to the current situation. She spoke words that hit the assassin like a punch to the face. " 'The past must be paid for'," she uttered.

Gamora furrowed her eyebrows, processing what she had heard. She turned her head to Petra in confusion, who was simply smiling softly at her. Then the words sunk in, and comprehend washed down the Zen-Whoberies tired features. "Whether or not you survive it," told Petra, "your attempts will always be remembered," she assured.

Gamora literally could not remember the last time someone had spoken to her this way. Calmly, fearlessly, understandingly. She'd never thought of it that way, or gave eye to that point.

"Goodnight, Gamora," the Terran last said before facing the opposite wall and attempting to sleep.

Gamora swallowed the heavy lump in her throat. It set a strange ease in her heart, to hear it from someone other than herself, to prove that she wasn't insane in thinking she could ever change.

Maybe the chances for redemption weren't so slim. And should all else fail, at least she'd be known to have tried.

She felt overwhelming gratitude towards the Terran sleeping soundly across from her, gratitude she wanted to repay, but didn't know how to, nevertheless, her heavy heart felt lighter, and sleep came quicker.

* * *

"Mph! Mm!" was the only cry Petra could emit as a large, rough hand was slapped onto her mouth to keep her from yelling. What a great way to wake up in the middle of the night.

As the red-head was pushed up from her bed and restrained by a bulky-ass guy, making her physical struggles hopeless and forcing fear to consume her. Her head snapped at the sound of other struggles coming from beside her, and she could see that three other inmates had taken the liberty of subduing Gamora, making her quickly pick up on exactly what was going on.

Revenge.

The two women were pulled out of their cell. Petra knew they would pass by the boys' cell on their way. She was being led first, so when she passed the cell, she pushed and kicked in hopes of earning her brother's attention, or that raccoon that claimed the twins as his booty, but nothing happened! The only reaction she got was an excruciating arm twist, that almost rendered it broken, by the brut that held her from behind, making her groan in pain.

However, something did happen. Not only did she wake her brother up soon enough for him to catch sight of Gamora being kidnapped, but Rocket too, who only noted the fleeing Quill.

Petra, who was losing all and any hope of coming out of the Kyln alive, was falsely relieved when she spotted one of the guards at the doorway she was being shoved towards.

The guard took one look at them, then noted Gamora, and broke into a heinous grin, one that sent shivers up Petra's spine. "Take em down to the showers. It'll be easier to clean up the blood down there," he told, making Petra wish she had her gauntlets just so she could blow a hole in his goddamn head.

* * *

"Gamoraaa," breathed one of the inmates, Moloka, the bald, thin-ish one. Two others surrounded him, grinning maliciously at the Zen-Whoberi, who was filling up with both rage and fear, and a strange want for it to end, all of it.

The bulky one restrained Petra at the corner of the shower-room, insuring her silence with a filthy hand to her mouth.

When the Zen-Whoberi's sight landed on the Terrran again, she clicked. She could see the evident fear in the girl's bright eyes, the girl whose mere words gave the green skin something she hadn't felt in a long time.

Hope.

Death would not be the way she was repaid.

"Before you speak your words, imbecile, let the Terran go, she holds no involvement in this," Gamora, who had a knife held to her throat, plead, almost threateningly, making Petra's eyes go wide. Was the assassin actually trying to save her? _'Once again, being nice pays off,'_ she couldn't help thinking.

"And risk her flapping that mouth of hers to the guards, I don't think so," Moloka smirked, holding the knife closer to her throat, silencing her. "Consider this a death sentence for your crimes against the galaxy."

And just before the knife was to move in one swift motion, ending Gamora's unlived life, they were interrupted. "You DARE?!" yelled a man that looked a lot like the devil's descendent. Bald, big, shirtless, skin bluish-green with strange red markings on it.

He approached them hazardously, the ground thudding with his every step.

This was Drax, or better known as 'Drax the Destroyer'. His wife and daughter were brutally murdered by the bare hands of Ronan the Accuser, altering his life purpose to one, and only one: Vengeance.

"You know who I am, yes?" he asked the group of inmates near Gamora.  
"You're Drax, the Destroyer."

Unknowingly, and unnoticed, Peter and Rocket had arrived at the crime scene. The only reason Peter risked getting into so much trouble was because, just like his sister, Peter wanted to sell that Orb, and he too was well aware that, currently, the only person who knew where to do that, was Gamora, but Rocket didn't know nor care about the Orb, he just wanted to get out of the Kyln, alive, with his two money bags. "Quill!" Rocket whisper-yelled in plea, only to be shoved by the Quill lightly to the side.

However, neither males had knowledge of the restrained Petra, shadowed in the corner of the room.

"And you know why they call me this?" Drax questioned.  
"You slayed dozens of Ronan's minions," answered Moloka fearfully, and admirably.  
"Ronan murdered my wife, Ovette, and my daughter, Camaria," he spoke heatedly to Gamora, eyeing her in pure hostility. "He slaughtered them where they stood...And he LAUGHED!" Drax yelled at Moloka, bouncing his anger around like a ball.

Peter eyed the brick-made man in slight pity. _'That Ronan guy sounds like a complete douche-bag,_ ' he thought. "Her life, is not yours to take. He killed my family, I shall kill one of his in return." the Destroyer told.  
"Of course, Drax. Here," the inmate replied respectfully, handing the Destroyer his blade.

As the two spoke, Gamora was carefully eyeing the other two knives pointed at her from the other prisoners on either sides of her. The minute she saw an opening chance, she took it. Gamora grasped the arm of the one to her left, twisting it before he could comprehend his situation as she took hold of his blade, turning at just the right moment to punch the other in the jaw, snatching the second weapon as the inmate fell.

Petra, both shocked and impressed, tried, yet again, to break free of her restrainer, who put his own weapon to her throat, pushing enough to leave a cut that made her hiss.

Gamora stood in place, gripping both knives pointedly at Drax and Moloka, who were very wary of their new positon at the edges of blades. Gamora spoke with firm haste. "I am no family to Ronan, or Thanos," she told, dropping the weapons to prove her point, "I'm your only hope at stopping him."

Drax growls in frustration, as per his usual attitude. He charges towards the Zen-Whoberi, gripping her by the throat, squeezing, forcing her to let out a strangled scream. "Woman! Your words mean **nothing** to me!" he yells.

Just then, Peter walks in bravely, more stupidly. "Hey, hey, hey," he tries, making Rocket face-palm. The Quill was about to speak once more, but his attention was further caught by the twin he thought sleeping soundly in her cell, "Petra?!" he uttered perplexedly, only to be remembered by the fact that the two women shared the same goddamn cell! _'Shit!'_ he thought fearfully. Rocket's face held the same reaction.

The twin wasted no time in utilizing the moment of her capture's distraction to her advantage. She slammed her head into his nose, breaking it, grabbed his arm, karate-chopping the knife out of it. She took the blade and hurried to her sibling, who held her behind him protectively.

The man stood up wrathfully, furious for being outwitted by a girl. He attempted charging at her, but was faced with Rocket, who growled at him threateningly, teeth showing and ears pulled back in a very intimidating stand.

The inmate retired upon seeing the wild animal's reaction, retracting to stand by his fallen comrades, keeping a safe distance from Drax and Gamora.

"You good?" Peter asked the twin. She nodded.  
"Yeah," she replied, then turned to the Destroyer.

Petra stepped slightly forward, despite her brother's attempts against that. She owed this to Gamora. "Look, Drax," she started, using his first name hopefully, "I know you've lost a lot, we all have," she told, unintentionally forcing the minds of all those present to fall back to the past, "If you think the only way to find peace is through vengeance, then you're smart enough to know that killing Gamora is the last thing you wanna do."

Even though Petra was no fan of vengeance, Gamora was on very thin ice, so she had to act fast.

Drax eyed her impatiently, irritated at her being right. Rocket was quite impressed, and Gamora was beyond confused at the red-head's attempt to help her.

Peter too nodded enthusiastically, speaking up as well, "Right. Right. Because she betrayed Ronan, so he's coming for her, and when he does, that's when you..." Peter made a motion with his finger going over his throat.

Drax observed the Quill boy. "Why would I put my finger on his throat?" he asked in pure confusion.

Now it was Peter's turn to get confused. "What?" he questioned as his sister face-palmed and Rocket shook his head, knowing why Drax was this stupid.

Realizing that he didn't get it, Peter quickly explained, "Oh, this is a symbol. This is a symbol for you slicing his throat," he told, repeating the motion.

Underneath Drax's intense glare, Peter turned desperately to Moloka. "You've heard of this. You've seen this, right? You know what that is," Peter tried.  
"Yeah. Yeah," he nodded.  
"Everyone knows," Peter acknowledged.

"He's gonna get us all killed," Rocket whispered to himself, making Petra smirk at the irony of their situation.

Drax turned furiously to Moloka, who quickly shook his head, "No. No," making Peter roll his eyes.  
"What I'm saying is, you want to keep her alive. Don't do his work for him," the Quill told, eyeing his sister who nodded in agreement.

Drax exchanges glances between both Quills, thinking things over, hating how they were right. _'But they are,'_ he thought. Drax reluctantly let Gamora go, making them all sigh in relief. He then turned to Moloka and said, "I like your knife. I'm keeping it."

"...That was my favorite knife..."


	7. 7: Here's The Plan

"You didn't have to do that," insisted Gamora, embarrassed by the fact that they had just saved her. She wasn't used to this kind of treatment, and she didn't know the appropriate ways to react to it, neither was it her priority right now,  
"Yes, we did," Petra smiled. It was the least she could do regarding Gamora's plea to set Petra free during their captivity.

Peter nodded along. Aside from finding Gamora beyond attractive, Peter knew they **needed** that orb sold, it was their only chance at surviving without the Ravagers. He needed Gamora alive.

"Yeah, no, you're welcome," Peter smirked, making her cock an irritated eyebrow at his clear attempt to flirt, Petra rolling her eyes and Rocket scoffing.

All men were the same to Rocket, pathetic and disgusting. Or, at least that was one of his mind's many ways of overlooking 'romance', something he knew he could never have, and, therefore grasped at its downsides.

"Sooo, in terms of returning the favor, how about sharing some information on your Orb-buyer," Peter then tried.

Gamora tensed, eyes turning to see Petra's reaction. The red-head looked hopeful as well. Rocket couldn't understand why everyone was fussing over that damn orb, and he was counting on finding out. He didn't like 'not knowing'.

The Zen-Whoberi brainstormed telling them. The ups and downs. She needed that money. She was getting **a lot** of money. She also needed out of this facility, and the twins were clearly going to accomplish that, one way or another. And, last, she actually **liked** the red-head, which was saying something. Conclusion: spliting the money wouldn't be so bad.

She sighed, still reluctant. "Look, even if I told you, how would we sell it if **we** and **it** are still here?" she asked tiredly.

The siblings smirked, exchanged a glance, then simultaneously turned to Rocket, who cocked an eyebrow and had his arms crossed. "My friend Rocket, here, has escaped twenty-two prisons," Peter told.

Rocket broke into a mischievous grin. "Oh, we're getting out. And then we're headed straight to Yondu to retrieve your bounties," he pointed at the Quills.  
"Seriously?!" Petra complained.  
"As can be," he retorted, making her raise a daring eyebrow.

As the two competed in a staring contest, Peter turned to Gamora in hopes of changing Rocket's mind. "How much was your buyer willing to pay you for the Orb?" he asked.

Gamora wasn fairly reluctant on replying to that specific question, but she was the only one who knew **who** the buyer was, and **where** he was. No harm in stating a number they couldn't get to **without** her.

"Four billion units," she uttered.  
"What?!" Rocket and Petra exclaimed in unison.  
"Holy shit!" Peter gasped.

If she was making deals, there were to be conditions. "That orb is my opportunity to get away from Thanos and Ronan," Gamora started, " **If** you free us, I'll lead you to the buyer directly and I'll split the profit between the four of us," she told.

Unseen, Groot was standing some ways from the cell, listening in, just then deciding to get involved. "I am Groot.(The **five** of us.)" he said suddenly, making Peter, who was nearest to the bars, jump.

Rocket smirked. " **Five** of us," he repeated for him, then spoke directly to him, "Asleep for the danger, awake for the money, as per frickin' usual," he mocked irritably, only getting a smile in reply.

"Alright. So, what's the plan?" Peter asked Rocket enthusiastically. The raccoon shook his head.  
"It's too late to discuss this. We'll talk about it in the morning. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need my beauty sleep," he told, walking off.

* * *

The next morning, the prisoners were awoken for breakfast. Rocket led the way with the Quills behind him, along with Gamora and Groot, as he explained the plan he'd been building up since they got arrested shortly. "If we're gonna get out of here, we're gonna need to get into **that** watchtower. And to do that I'm gonna need a few things," he started, "The guards wear security bands to control their ins and outs. I need one."

Gamora caught sight of one of the guards with just that. "Leave it to me," she told the raccoon/current leader.

"That dude there," Rocket pointed a look at the man walking past them with a metallic leg, "I need his prosthetic leg," he told super seriously.  
"His leg?!" Peter asked weirdly.  
"Yeah. God knows I don't need the rest of him. Look at him, he's useless," he explains, making Petra roll her eyes at his rudeness.  
"Alright," Peter reluctantly agrees as the five take a seat at an empty table.  
"Now, when you get the security band, I need it rebooted, hotwired," he told Gamora, who looked very confused. Rocket then turned to Petra and grinned, making her furrow her eyebrows. "Hey, doll-face," he called. She wasn't sure who he was talking to at first, and before she could wonder about the nickname, that her brother found suspicious and annoying, the raccoon continued to speak, "a little birdy told me you're good with high-tech," he told, making her smirk. _'Damn right I am!'_ she thought proudly, knowing well enough where, or, from whom, the rumor was spread.  
"Does that little birdy happen to be blonde with a hint of stupid?" she teased her sibling, her and Rocket snickering. _'Oh, I like her,'_ he couldn't help thinking.  
"Okay. Haha. Very funny," Peter told irritably as he realized his twin and the raccoon were building a pact against him, Gamora cracking a smile along with Groot.

"Okay. Okay," Rocket resumed, "Finally. On the wall back there is a black panel. Blinky yellow light. Do you see it?" he asks the group, who turn to look.  
"Yeah," Peter answers.  
"There's a quarnyx battery behind it. Purplish box, green wires. To get into that watchtower, I definitely need it," he explained.  
"How are we supposed to do that?" Gamora asked, eyeing said box that lied twenty feet off the ground. Rocket shrugs, knowing they weren't gonna like his suggestion.  
"Well, supposably, these bald-bodies find Red here attractive," he eyed Petra, who he, and though he'd never admit, also found slightly attractive, even though she wasn't that unique looking, but the fact that she had brains was more than enough to earn Rocket's unearnable attention. "So, maybe you can work out some sort of trade," he told her.  
"What?!" Petra exclaimed.  
"No way!" Peter refused.  
"Even if that would work," started Gamora, who thought the Quills were over-reacting, "it's twenty feet up in the air, and it's in the middle of the most heavily-guarded part of the prison. It's impossible to get up there without being seen,"

Rocket sighed irritably. "Look, I got **one** plan, and that **plan** requires a **frickin' quarnyx battery**! so figure it **out**!" he demanded tiredly, shutting them up, "Can I get back to it? Thanks. Now, this is important. Once the battery is **removed** , everything is gonna slam into emergency mode. Once we have it, we gotta move quickly, so you definitely need to get that **last** ," he told.

And, in that **exact** second, alarms blare across the floors, aka, (emergency mode).

The group look and observe in shock as Groot stands by the watchtower. The battery that was once attached to the wall, was now in his branching hand as he handed it out to them innocently.

Drax who was observing the tree-man as well, exchanging looks between him and the seated group he'd come across the night before, understood what was going on.

Prison break.

"Or we could just get it first and improvise!" Rocket yelled tiredly.  
"I'll get the armband," said Gamora, getting up.  
"I'm with you," told Petra.  
"Leg," offered Peter.

The three split off in different ways, leaving Rocket behind. He rubbed his temples and groaned irritably.

Several drones flew into the room, surrounding Groot. He eyed them curiously. "Prisoner, drop the device immediately and retreat to your cell, or we will open fire," said the guard in the watchtower t.

Groot didn't like being intimidated. He eyed the drones daringly,

and with one,

sole

breath,

he screamed,

"I AM GROOOT!"


	8. 8: FREEDOOOOM!

"Move!" yelled Gamora at one of the fear-tripped inmates, Petra following after. The two females were headed in the same direction, but the gun-fire spreading from Groot's direction was very immanent.

Rocket, fearing for his life, scuttles off to Groot, climbing onto his shoulder. "You idiot!" he yells over the commotion, trying desperately not to get shot, "How am I supposed to fight these things without my stuff?!"

One of the drones aims at Rocket, Groot creates a wood-shield to defend his friend.

From a distance Drax hears more guards approaching. "The animal is in control! Fire on my command!" yells one of them. Drax knew, he wasn't going to get another chance, so he charges at the three, kicking, punching, throwing, and...laughing? Damn right he was! Boy did he love a good fight!

Drax grabs one of the fallen guns. "Creepy little beast!" he calls Rocket's way. The raccoon looks fast enough to catch the weapon sent flying at his head.

"Oh...yeah," he uttered, and at that, chaos erupted. In a manner of seconds a tree and a raccoon had convinced the Kyln prison guards that they were completely and hopelessly getting their butts kicked.

Petra and Gamora do their best not to get shot, but it wasn't long before they were met by security, who were trying desperately to regain control of an uncontrollable situation. "Prisoners! Get back to your cells!" one of the three commands, guns aimed.

The two women take one, knowing look at one another, smirk, and race into action.

Gamora grabs one of the weapons from the guard's hand, twisting while simultaneously kicking the other in the face using her leg and overly flexible posture.

Petra, remembering her training from Yondu, crouches, punches the third guy in the stomach. He bends in pain, she tackles him, jumping onto him and subduing the man with several punches. "Ow!" she whines at her poor knuckles. She then grabs one of the weapons for herself, along with the sharp knife the guard had on him.

Shots fire in their direction and both Petra and Gamora storm for cover, the Quill behind a table and Gamora near a wall. Petra points up at the other side of the prison, Gamora takes notice and sees the target. She gives a curt nod and moves out, Petra heads to follow but more shots fire, preventing her.

 _'Okay, ,'_ the Quill starts, forming a plan. It took the Zen-Whoberi less than a minute to make her way to the required position, which left Petra slightly dumbfounded. _'How the heck am_ ** _I_** _supposed to get there?!'_ she thought.

The floors around her, the stairs on top, were packed with guards fighting prisoners, even at Gamora's side, but she was handling it better. There had to be a way to get there without dying.

Then it clicked. Petra eyed the drones mischievously. "Okay. Here goes nothing," she breaths, and with one swift motion, she runs.

"ROCKET!" she shouts. The raccoon turns and sees her pointing at one of the drones. "COVER ME!"

The raccoon reluctantly obliges, not having the slightest of clues on what she was doing, shooting all around her. Drax notes that the Quill was up to something, a guard high on her heels. The Destroyer storms towards him. He grabs him by the throat and slams him onto the ground, laughing heartedly in the process.

Petra jumps from a table, crashes into the watchtower and starts climbing, thanking god this wasn't her first time climbing shit, until she was high enough to jump onto a drone. Rocket eyes her in shock. "What the hell are you doing?!" he asks. She doesn't answer, trying fiercely not to fall, or get shot, as she tore at the struggling machine's back wires, hacking its system.

 _'And BAM! I_ ** _own_** _you now!'_ she thought proudly. Rocket watched in awe as she flew off with the drone. "HAHA! WOOW!" she shouted excitedly, adrenaline flooding her system as she forced the machine to shoot the remaining ones surrounding them, then towards Gamora, who was struggling with the guards.

 _'Goddamn!'_ was the only thought that ran through Rocket's awe-struck mind before gunfire snapped him out of it.

After taking out half a dozen guards, headed towards the Zen-Whoberi, Petra joined her on the floor, her drone crashing down. Gamora had the target on the floor, unsure what to do next. "Nice ride," she tells the Quill, who smiles back, crouching down beside the taken out key-keeper. "Careful. He said it was internally wired."  
"Nooobody said this would be easy," was the only reply the assassin got before Petra forced the security band out of his arm with her knife, grimacing at the blood.

"Prisoners! Stand down!" yelled a guard from behind the red-head. The two females shared a single glance before Gamora charged at the guy as Petra fiddled with the band, doing just what Rocket asked for.

"Gamora!" she calls, tossing her the device so she could get it to the raccoon. Gamora caught it, jumping off the ledge to do just that.

A guard falls behind Petra and she turns to see her brother, standing lone with a **leg** in his hand. "Behind you!" he yells. She ducks and he swings the leg at the guy.

She gets back up. "We have to get to the watchtower!" she tells. He nods and they move.

Groot had built himself up as a ladder to the watchtower's entrance. Most of the guards were out cold so, fortunately, it wasn't as hard for the Quills to follow.

Petra climbed first, Peter soon after. Without warning, a drone flew directly in front of him, aiming to shoot. Petra noted the delay in her brother's climbing and looked to see why he'd frozen, her eyes going wide in fear just before the Destroyer had taken the liberty of ending their problem, smashing the drone to pieces. "Terrans!" he shouts, "You promised me vengeance!"

The siblings share a look, then Peter speaks up. "Then what the hell are you waiting for?! Come on!" he tells, then continues to climb with the Destroyer right behind him.

Gamora helps Petra up. She straightens up to see Rocket toying with the security codes to get the door open. "Come on," the assassin calls at the Quills to follow, not yet noticing the presence of Drax.

The group take position at the very front of said door, Rocket joining them afterwards. The door opens and the man inside, on a lone chair, had never been more afraid, nor weirded out.

Groot, literally, throws the man out of the room. Rocket makes his way to the computers. Gamora catches sight of Drax and eyes him with both shock and frustration. "Spare me your foul gaze, woman," he calls tiredly.

The others note the situation and Gamora points a question at them. "Why is **this** one here?" she asks irritably.  
"We promised him he'd stay by our side until he gets the chance to kill Ronan," answered Petra, still bitter towards the idea, mostly because, considering what was said about Ronan, she feared coming face to face with him.  
"Right," starts Peter, "and we always keep our promises, when they're to muscle-bound whack-jobs who will kill us if we don't," he says quickly, making Petra and the raccoon smirk. "Here you go," he lays the prosthetic leg near Rocket.

The raccoon observes it curiously for a moment. "Oh, I was just kidding about the leg. I only need these two things," he tells calmly. It takes a moment for Peter to comprehend what he just said.  
"What?!" he then asked. Rocket laughs.  
"No, I…I thought it'd be funny! Was it funny? No, wait, what did he look like hopping around?" he asked humorously.

Peter eyes him in shock, and Petra had deduced that Rocket was leaning towards the cruel-child side, a lot like her brother. _'Men,'_ she couldn't help thinking. "I had to transfer him thirty-thousand units!" Peter calls furiously, making Rocket snicker.  
"Okay, enough," Petra demands, stepping between them before her twin decided to throw around punches. "Rocket. How are we leaving?" she asks. Her brother jumps in.  
"Yeah, Rocket. What's the plan? Assuming that isn't another thing you made up."  
"I have a plan! I have a plan!" Rocket assures, typing the keyboards hastily.

Petra eyes his work curiously, beginning to catch up on what he was attempting to achieve. If it really was what she thought it was, then the raccoon was a goddamn genius.

"Cease your yammering and relieve us from this irksome confinement," Drax commands.  
"Yeah, I'll have to agree with the walking thesaurus on that one," Peter says. Drax eyes him in pure offense.  
"Do not ever call me a thesaurus," he threatens, Peter eyes him in confusion, Petra barely listening.  
"It's just a metaphor, dude," Peter tells, the threat working.  
"His people are completely literal, metaphors are gonna go over his head," Rocket explains. Boy was he good at multitasking!  
" **Nothing** goes over my head. My reflexes are too fast. I would catch it," Drax assures.  
"Oh my god," Petra sighs. Rocket rolls his eyes.  
"I'm gonna die surrounded by the biggest idiots in the galaxy," Gamora complains.  
"And I'm gonna try not to get offended by that," Petra tells, making the Zen-Whoberi chuckle heartedly, something she hadn't done in a very long time.  
"Not you," she assures.  
"Thought so," Petra smiles, then turns to Rocket, "Rocket," she calls.  
"Mph?"  
"I hope you realize that our running off requires us actually being on the ground," she tells.

The group eye her in confusion, all but the raccoon, who was fairly impressed she'd figured it out, grinning. "Relax, **princess**. I know what I'm doing," he tells, Peter scowling at the nickname, his sister feeling weird about it, but good weird; she didn't mind.

Seconds later, more guards appear in the room, surrounding the watchtower, enormous weapons carried on their shoulders. The group's eyes go wide. "Those are some big guns," Peter states the obvious worriedly.  
"ON MY COMMAND! NUMBER ONE!" a guard yells, making another shoot one of said guns at the glass, which, to their luck, was extremely powerful.

The six wince at the collision. "Rodent, we are ready for your plan!" Gamora warns. Rocket ignores the comment, being on edge just as much.  
"Hold on!" he tells.  
"NUMBER TWO!" and boom!

Petra begins to processes what he's doing in an attempt to help. "I recognize this animal. We'd roast them over a flame pit as children. Their flesh was quite delicious," Drax notes contently.

Rocket and Petra eye each other weirdly, then both turn to Drax. "NOT! HELPING!" they yell, which shuts him up.  
"NUMBER THREE!" and boom!

Rockets aims for a liver, but Petra's already pulled it. He gives her a quick nod, glad he wasn't going to give her in to Yondu anymore, she would be such a waste with the Ravagers. He quickens his pace.  
"ALL FIRE ON MY COMMAND!" the guard yells alas.

They all eye Rocket with dire anticipation. "THREE! TWO! ONE!" and just before the tower was blown to bits, Rocket plugged in a wire, one that sent those guards floating up in the air helplessly,

and,

more importantly,

harmlessly.

The group now understood what the Quill-girl and the raccoon were on about. "You turned off the artificial gravity, everywhere but in here," Gamora states, as impressed as Drax, Peter, and Groot, who was simply proud of his furry friend.  
"I told you I had a plan."


	9. 9: Where's Peter?

While in the watchtower, Rocket gives a few clicks, and, in a manner of seconds, those dreaded drones had turned from deadly foes to their ticket out of the hell-hole. He'd managed to attach them to the lower part of the tower, using their boosters to get them up and flying, well, barely flying.

The tower began to glide and tumble down at dangerous speed. It got through the main doors, surprisingly, crashing and slamming in every wall and corner, making Petra wish **she** had flight control.

Finally still, Rocket hits a button that locks the door behind them shut, as the group attempts to catch their breaths. "That was a pretty good plan," Peter notes contently. Rocket stands proudly.  
"Yeah," Petra chuckles, "But next time, I'm driving," she says, working her way out. Rocket doesn't belive she could have handeled it any better.

The group spread out in the equipment room, collecting their taken things. Peter looks out a close by window. Guards were coming in, fast.

Petra grabs her stuff. She joins her sibling near the window. "Yeah! There it is. My ship. It's the Milano, the orange and blue one over in the corner," he tells the others, who look momentarily as he heads to look for his stuff as well.  
"I'm gonna go get it started," Petra says, heading out. Peter was about to protest until:  
"I am Groot.(I will help.)"  
"Groot says he's coming with," Rocket translates. Seeing Groot's strength first hand, Peter knew his sister would be well protected.  
"Okay, come on, let's go." They leave.

Gauntlet on one arm, the red-head moves out. Groot stops her, placing a large hand in front of her and pushing slightly so that she was behind him. She nods knowingly, allowing him to take the lead.

The guards aim to attack, but Groot is too strong and too fast for them. Petra uses her gauntlet several times to rid them of the guards on the side.

Alas, the two reach the Milano. Petra opens up the hatch. "Will you keep watch till the others get here?" she asks nicely. He smiles and nods. She heads to get dressed in the lower deck, aka the engine room/her room. She quickly fit herself in her own outfit, then ran back out to the navigation deck, waking up the ship, making the engines rev to life. "Honey," she whispers in a sing-a-song tone to the ship, "I'm home," she calls contently, seating herself on the familiar pilot chair.

Minutes later, Rocket, Gamora, and Drax make an entrance. Petra turns to look at them. "Where's Peter?" she asks in concern.  
"He said he was retrieving something," Gamora answered irritably, fuming at his stupidity.

Petra's eyes went wide. She knew exactly **what** he went back for, she also knew that, should she tell them, they would force her to leave without him, considering what he was risking their lives for. "Okay," she draws weirdly, closing up the hatch and pulling up off the floor, Rocket joining her on the adjacent chair.  
"What are you doing?!" Drax asks in shock. She wouldn't actually abandon her sibling, would she?  
"Relax. He'll catch up with us, we just need to keep the ship close," she tells.  
"That is what he said we should do," Gamora confirms as Petra starts to move the ship up and out of the Kyln prison.  
"Of course he did," Petra sighs.  
"You sure ya know how ta' fly this thing, Red?" Rocket asks her worriedly.  
"What do you think I've been doing for the past ten years?" she asks back, not really focusing on anything but getting the ship out in the open.

Out at last, she parks. "Okay, guys. Fan out. There are rooms all around for you to change, just don't touch anything. And Gamora," she calls. The Zen-Whoberi looks. "You might wanna avoid Peter's room. You'll know it when you see it," she smiles sheepishly. Gamora gives her a confused look before heading off with her things, the others doing the same, except Groot, who just stood around.

A few minutes later, they reappeared. Peter still hadn't shown up and his sister was getting worried and impatient. She would have gone after him, but they'd done this a million times before. Peter would be the one to infiltrate, and she'd be in the getaway car, it was just how they best worked. She'd offered to help him on the inside many times, but he'd always tell her off, saying he'd be too busy trying to keep **her** safe than on the mission itself, so she pulled her nerves together, and had managed to convince herself that he'd be here any minute.

"He still hasn't shown up?!" Rocket asks irritably, coming to sit beside her again, Gamora in seconds later, on the chair behind them, Drax too.  
"Nope," replied Petra, clenching her jaw.  
"If we wait any longer, we'll be blown to bits! And honestly, I have no intentions of risking my life for a humie with a death wish!" Petra widens her eyes at him, but he's turned to Gamora, "You've got the Orb, right?" he asks.

From beside him, Petra's snickering to herself _'They have no idea,'_ she thought. He eyes her weirdly. She takes a breath, then grins. "My brother may be an idiot, but he's not stupid enough to give you guys the one thing that makes him a valuable member of this group," she explains victoriously, stunning the others.

Gamora opens the bag the Quill-boy had given her hastily, frantically scouring through. She then stops. The Orb really **wasn't** there. The look on her face confirms the red-head's words. Rocket groans irritably.

And just then, Drax, who was silently furious as well, not like he gave two damns about the Orb, his eyes catch sight of the man spoken of, dashing towards them with his Roosters and red-eyed mask, hair flailing about like a lion's mane. "Behold," the Destroyer calls solely.

Petra's smile widens as the others watch him approach. She opens up the lower hatch. All but Rocket head to greet him. Gamora and Drax help him up. "This one shows spirit. He shall make a keen ally in the battle against Ronan," Drax tells them happily. _'Oh, you just wait,'_ thought Petra. "Companion, what were you retrieving?" he asked.

Peter handed him the Walkman. Drax eyes it in pure shock, Gamora too. Petra did her best to suppress her laugher. Drax turns to Peter once more, glaring. "You're an **imbecile**!" he utters in disgust. Peter shrugs it off and walks into his ship.  
"You good?" he asks his twin. She nods firmly.  
"Yeah."


	10. 10: Long Ride

"Wow, wow, wow! Yo, Ranger Rick! What are you doing? You can't take apart my ship without asking me!" Peter yells at Rocket.

Petra enters from the kitchen, hair loose. She told herself she'd keep a close eye on her twin and the raccoon. They didn't look like they got along, at all.

"What's going on?" she asks. The two males turn to her, and Rocket can't help but wonder how she was all the more attractive with bright, red hair, freely fanning her gentle features. He then mentally slaps himself. _'What the hell is wrong with you?!'_ he wonders.  
"The raccoon is taking apart my ship!" Peter exclaims.

Rocket points a clawed finger at him. "Don't call me that," he warns, not even knowing what it meant, but he knew he didn't like it.

"Okay. Stop it, both of you," she tells, then turns to Rocket as calmly as possible, who had decided to ignore them and finish his work, "Rocket, what are you doing?" she asks.  
"Building up B-plans," he answers casually.  
"From my **ship**?!" Peter asks in shock and annoyance. he doesn't give Rocket a chance to answer. "Wha-what is this?!" he points at one of the round things.  
"Don't touch that. It's a bomb," he answers. The Quills' eyes go wide.

Petra can see dangerous frustration building up in her brother's eyes. He opens his mouth to talk, well, more accurately, yell, but his sibling stops him. "Peter. Peter. I will handle this. Go fly the ship," she tells. The raccoon smirks at that. Peter glares at her a sarcastic (Really?). She glares back quite seriously. Peter then lets out an exasperated sigh.  
"Fine. Just hurry up! Before I lose it," he says last before walking off.

Petra closes her eyes and takes a breath before turning back to the furry creature, toying with the scraps. She crouches down beside him, planning on nicely telling him off.

But the way he worked, with such skill. Instead she finds herself watching him in great admiration as he pulled at the pieces and rearranged them with breathtaking talent.

He knows she's watching, and it irritates him extremely, but before he could speak, the red-head smiles, then gets up, making him let out a silent sigh of relief.

The girl herself wasn't the problem, it was the feeling of being watched so closely, his every move monitored, it reminded him of a time he wished to forget.

"Come on," she says. He furrows his eyebrows at her. "Grab your stuff. Let me show you where the real toys are made."

* * *

"So, what do ya think?" asked Petra excitedly.

Rocket stood there, carrying his little booms and guns, mouth slightly a gap. "Nicccce," he grinned.  
"Huh? huh?" she smirked, then clapped her hands together, walking towards the middle of the room, "Alright. Feel free to use whatever catches your eyes, except that stuff," she tells, pointing at a shelf filled with highly-valuable looking scrap that tempted the raccoon extremely, but the red-head was kind enough to offer him all the other equipment, which was a lot, so he saw no harm in respecting her wishes. "You can sit on the desk, but **that's** a much better work area," she points to a large, soft, blue, carpet perpendicular to the wall across her bed.

"Oh, and, by the way, this stuff isn't for free, so if you're gonna use it, you have to make me stuff too, and I have to like it," she smiles teasingly. He grins back.  
"No problemo."

The red-head makes her way to the bed in the corner with the other shelves beside it, little trinkets, tools, and more scraps on them. She flops down on the mattress, grabs a screwdriver and a piece of machinery, which was meant to be one of her newest builds, a heat detector, good for seeing people on the other side of a wall, or, more accurately, detect their thermal radiation. She still hadn't come up with a name for it though, and it wasn't new, per se, just built in her own way.

Rocket places his things on the carpet and makes himself at home. At least this time, he was actually invited in. Grabbing some things from around the small room, Rocket continues his work on one of his larger guns that was yet to be finished. As he carried out his mind-set design, he hummed a soft tune that Petra was unfamiliar with, but liked how it sounded.

Minutes later, the red-head makes her way to Rocket and sits opposite him, legs crossed. He eyes her warily, watching carefully as she fiddled through a box beside them, looking for something, her strange built in her hand. It takes him twenty seconds to figure out what it was, knowing it wasn't easy to make, but finds it adorable that she's even trying.

He had no idea.

She finds what she's looking for and sits back adjacent to the heavy, metallic box. Every now and then, she steals glances at the raccoon. It was quite clear how he came to be, and it probably wasn't a pretty story. She figured he came from a lab, and it put a frown on her face, wondering exactly what happened in said lab, but he'd never tell her if she'd ask, and she honestly didn't want to know.

She begins to wonder about him and Groot, and how they seemed to be very close friends. She saw no harm in asking him about that, so she did. "Rocket," she calls, perking his ears. He didn't know what it was, but something about the way she said his name made him feel tingly.  
"Mph?" he replies. She smiles at her silly question.  
"You and Groot. How did that happen?" she asks.

He wasn't expecting the question, which stops him from working momentarily. She notes his hesitance and realizes it was probably best if she kept her mouth shut. He then continues, and gives her a simple answer. "Sorry, tots. I don't know you well enough to share **that** story yet." His answer had proven to her that it was most likely related to his, most possibly, sinister past, but just to be sure.  
"Could you at least give me a clue?" she asks sheepishly. He cocks an annoyed eyebrow at her. "Pretty please?" she pouts, the curiosity eating at her.

The look on her face leaves him dumbfounded. "Alright, fine!" he gives in, making her grin victoriously. "Long story short: I was in a tight spot, he helped me out of it, we been friends ever since. Happy?"  
"Very," she grins. It warms his heart, which irritates him further.

Sure he'd get these emotions from Groot, but that was because he was so silly and cute, so why the heck was she so acceptable. _'And what's so wrong with that?'_ he couldn't help asking himself. What's one more friend, right?

"Okay. My turn," he smirks, making her smile widen. Besides her brother, Petra hadn't had a lively conversation with anyone in a long time, and the Ravagers didn't count. They were savage idiots, and she less than appreciated their company, but Rocket was as mind-working as she was, which put between them a lively challenge and a lot in common.

"Shoot," she allows.  
"Why give Yondu the slip?" he asks, halting his tweaking, waiting. She frowns slightly, now knowing what he felt like when she asked her question. It too was a sour topic, but she reckoned it would never be as bad as his.  
"We just couldn't see a future with the Ravagers, me and Peter. So we decided to move on," she answers. He nods understandingly.  
"Fair enough," he tells, resuming his work.

Petra furrows her eyebrows at his weird and large contraption. "What's that?" she asks curiously. He grins.  
"This's for if things get really hardcore. Or if you wanna blow up moons," he shrugs. Her jaw drops and she slaps a hand on her mouth, eyeing him in shock. She lets out a disbelieving laugh, making him chuckle as well.

A knocking on the door snatches their attention. "Who is it?!" she shouts.  
"I am Groot," answers the door.  
"Come on in!" she tells.

The tree-man opens the door and smiles at them, forcing a smile on both their faces. "Hia, big guy," she greets happily. His smile widens.  
"I am Groot. (Hello, Red.)" he greets back.  
"He says 'Hi, Red.'," Rocket translates as Groot makes his way beside his friend and sits on his knees.  
"How can you understand him?" she asked Rocket wondrously. Rocket frowns, then points to his head.

"Translating chip," he answers grimly. She shuts up, deciding not to ask him anymore 'how' questions.

Groot notes his friend's mood and decides to change the subject. "I am Groot. (I like your ship.)"

"Groot says he likes your ship," Rocket tells.

"Why, thank you," she smiles.

"I am Groot. (The rooms look installed. Did you build them yourself?)"

"He's asking if the rooms were built in by you."

In origin, Petra and Peter had stolen the Milano on one of their heists. Yondu had allowed them to keep it, and Petra worked to make it their new living quarters instead of the filthy rooms Yondu offered.

"Oh, yeah, they were. Peter helped with the big stuff, but I came up with the designs," she replies.

"I am Groot. (You and Rocky are a lot alike.)"

Rocket sighs irritably at the nickname he'd told him several times not to use. He also didn't like being compared to anyone, but he supposed it wasn't so bad. "Uhhh, he says you and I are a lot alike," he explains, which makes the red-head grin.

"Well, then I suppose that makes us friends," she says teasingly.

Rocket gives her a look. He was used to insulting people, and he liked it, but she was too damn nice. He didn't think offending her would make him laugh, but he wasn't good at being peachy either, so he did his best.

"You may be the least annoying person on this ship, but we're not friends yet, greeny," he tells, the nickname pointed at her emerald-green eyes.  
"I'll take that as a compliment," she grins.  
"I am Groot. (She's cute, isn't she?)" Groot asks him mischievously.  
"Yeah," replied Rocket, as honest as he usually was with Groot, grateful she couldn't understand the log.  
"What'd he say?" Petra asked eagerly.  
"Sorry, princess. Pal talk," he tells.  
"No fair," she whines.  
"Yes, fair," he grinned.

Groot watched the interaction closely. His friend was acting very strangely, but, then again, the girl was especially peculiar. She could put up a conversation with Rocket and manage not to get yelled at once, just like he, and he alone, could, but it seemed he was not the only one anymore, and it didn't bother him in the slight. It was good to see his friend smile so much.

Suddenly, the door opens with a rusty creak. Drax stands in the doorway, eyeing the three peculiarly. "You, bizarre group of creatures. We have arrived at the peak of revenge," he says dramatically.


	11. 11: I Am Groot

"Hundreds of years ago, the Tivan Group sent workers in to mine the organic matter within the skull. The bone, brain tissue, spinal fluid. All rare resources, highly valued in black markets across the galaxy. It's dangerous and illegal work, suitable only for outlaws," narrated Gamora.

The six walked through the filth-infested streets of Knowhere, a severed head of an ancient celestial being. Petra cringes in disgust at the smells and the sights, yet, she couldn't help being fascinated by it all.

"Well, we come from a planet of outlaws," started her twin, "Billy the Kid."  
Petra smirks. "Bonnie and Clyde," she joins.  
"and John Stamos," her brother finishes, smiling at her.  
"It sounds like a place which I would like to visit," Drax notes. _'Because of the outlaws?!'_ Petra wonders, _'What a strange man.'_

 _"_ Yeah, you should," Peter tells.

A group of dirt-covered children storm towards them, probably playing some game, or, "Watch your wallets," Peter warns the other five.

Petra eyes them in sympathy, they just looked so innocent, which was ironic because her brother's words were very true. She looks on and ignores them, Gamora doing the same.

Rocket, however, eyes them in pure disgust. He didn't know what it was about them that made him despise them so much, maybe it was because, deep down, he felt as small and helpless as they were. He quickly shook the thought off, yelling at them to move.

But none were as affected by this as the Destroyer was. He looked to them, and all he could see was her, Camaria, his beloved daughter.

She could not run, nor play, nor smile as they,

because she wasn't there,

because she was gone

...because **he** killed her.

"Your buyer's in there?" Rocket asks in disgust, snapping Drax out of it.  
"We are to wait here for his representative," answers Gamora.  
"This is no respectable establishment! What do you expect us to do while we wait?" questions Drax irritably, getting impatient.  
"Why don't you sign up for Orloni battles?" Peter suggests.

Rocket catches sight of the game and grins. Drax wears a confused look. "Heck of a time-killer. Come on, meat-bag," Rocket leaves, beckoning for Drax to follow, he does so reluctantly.  
"Don't call me 'meat-bag'."

* * *

"I am Groot," Groot starts, making his way to Petra by the bar, holding a not-so-strong drink in her hand.  
"Hey," she smiles.

He seats himself beside her. She wonders why he's here, then looks to Rocket and Drax as they stood in line, watching the Orlonis brutally battle on a pool table with a mad crowd, waiting their turn. "Not a big fan of it, huh?" she asks Groot, who frowns and shakes his head. "Me neither," she agrees.

She had no knowledge of where her brother, nor Gamora were stationed, so she figured they were probably together, and most likely to Gamora's great distaste.

Petra looks to the placid tree, then grins. "You know, Groot. I feel like you and I can really connect if I could understand you," she says, the drink kicking in. She was a light-drinker.

Groot smiles brightly in reply, agreeing. "Okay, tell you what, let's come up with some sort of simple sign-language. Like, for example: you nod your head for 'yes', shake it for 'no'. Umm...you do this if you wanna say 'what'," she moves her hand a certain way, "and point to your head if you wanna go like 'I think...' whatever...Oh! and you do this for 'but'," she makes a fist and punches her palm vertically.

Groot nods understandingly, content with the solution. "Okay, let's start easy. I'll ask a question, and you try and answer, k?" she asks, he nods again. "Umm...What do you think of this place?"

Groot takes a moment to think, then points to himself, shakes his head, then makes a heart-shape with his hands, basically saying (I don't like.).

Petra's eyes' light up with excitement. She had just found a way to communicate with Groot! who seemed to have a lot to say and she was very interested in getting to know him. "Awesome! Okay, now, ask **me** a question," she tells.

Groot smiles, thinks, then does as told. He points to her, then to his head, then to where they were to meet the Collector, then gives her a thumbs up, as in (You think Collector good?), which took her a while to process and comprehend, but it worked! "Great! And, to answer your question, I honestly don't care. We're just here for the money, you know?" she says. Groot nods understandingly.

"Okay, my turn. Umm..." she couldn't find a proper question. She wanted to ask something simple, like 'where are you from?', but he couldn't act out names! She looked around for inspiration. Her eyes caught sight of Rocket and a question immediately popped up. "Oh! I got one. How long have you and Rocket been friends?" she asks.

Groot grins at the question. He just **loved** talking about his friend, and this was his first chance in, like, forever! He puts his hands together, then pulls them fairly apart, signaling a looooong time.

She nods happily. "Yeah!...He told me you saved his life. Seems to really care about you. He wouldn't give me much more than that though," she says, wondering why it came out like she was disappointed.

Groot frowns slightly. He then points to Rocket in the crowd. Petra squints her eyes, trying to figure out what he was aiming at, she switches sight between his finger and the crowd. "Rocket?" she asks. Groot nods. "Okay, how about this: if you wanna say 'Rocket', just make a fist, like a...a rock! Yeah. A rock," she says. Groot smiles at it and nods excitedly, enjoying this to the fullest.

He makes said fist, then pulls up his arms like he's showing off his muscles, then does a 'but', points to himself, then pretends to slide a tear down his cheek, in other words. (Rocket strong but inside sad.).

Petra frowns at that, then looks to her drink. "Yeah, that much I can tell," she says, pitying the little guy.

Groot studies her features, then smiles brightly. "I am Groot," he says to get her attention. She looks. He acts out the words: (Rocket thinks you good.)

Petra smiles at that, blushing slightly. It seemed the duo talk about her behind her back. "Well, I think he's good too." Groot's smile widens. (I think you good.), he signs, making her chuckle from shyness, or from the drink, she couldn't tell.

"Why the heck do you two look so goofy?" Rocket asks, approaching them along with Drax. The two were still waiting their turn at the game, and decided to wait by the bar. He seated himself by Groot and ordered himself a drink, Drax down by Petra.

The red-head smirks at Rocket's question. "Groot and I were just having a very lively conversation," she replies teasingly. Rocket raises his eyebrows in shock.  
"How?!" he exclaims.  
"Sign language."  
"Sign language? That's just pathetic," he says. She grins.  
"You're just jealous cause me and Groot are buddies now, right Groot?" she asks, Drax smirking in amusement at the raccoon's annoyance.  
"I am Groot. (Yes.)" he nods enthusiastically.  
"Oh, really?" Rocket asks sarcastically.  
"Mmhm," Petra replies contently.

Something about her playful attitude, turned him on, which was something that hadn't happened in a very long time, making him down his drink a lot faster than he should have.

Now, knowing his friend, Rocket was suddenly fairly worried about the topic of their discussion. "So what'd you talk about?" he asked as casually as possible.

Petra and Groot eye each other for a moment. Rocket notes the silence and looks the minute Groot decided to answer. "I am Groot. (We discussed this place.)"  
"Really? This place, huh?" he questions suspiciously. Petra nods quickly. He doesn't buy it, and before he got the chance to draw it out of them, Drax decided to speak up.

"How much longer do we have to wait?" he asks irritably.  
"You that eager to get some blood on your hands, huh?" notes Rocket.  
"Yeah, about that," draws Petra, "Drax, are you sure you wanna do this?" she asks cautiously, "Kill Ronan, I mean?" she then thinks carefully about her next words. They just had to be said, for his sake. "You know...it's not gonna bring them back."

Rocket eyes her warily, wondering if she was trying to get herself killed as he switched glances between her and Drax fearfully.

In truth, however, Petra was hoping to avoid coming face to face with Ronan, because it seemed, so long as they were with Drax, that was very immanent, and she doubted any of them would come out of it alive, after all, all they wanted was the money. But she also couldn't help but feel sorry for the Destroyer, who was clearly in a lot of pain, so consumed by vengeance. Does he know that it changes nothing? Does he know, that it would leave him empty?

Drax eyes her for a moment. Of course he knew they were never coming back, but what Ronan did, was unforgettable..."It was a day like any other," he starts, the past set before his eyes, like it was yesterday, "me and the hunters had come back to the village, only, instead, we were welcomed with the sight of our land, scorching in flames...and Ronan...in the midst of it all," he tells.

Petra listens intently, Groot and Rocket as well, knowing very well, it was about to get worst. "I ran to my home, searching, praying that my wife and daughter, were safe...but even **that** I was not permitted...He **slaughtered** them, and **everyone** in the village. He did not care for **children** , for **women** , for **elders**... Vengeance may not bring them back...but a man such as he, does not deserve to walk the galaxy...and I will take great pleasure, in ending him myself."

The three across from him were left speechless, tears glimmering in Petra's eyes, rage building up in Rocket's, and sympathy in Groot's. Drax could see he had convinced them. He did not wish to share his sorrow, but the Quill had forced him to speak the truth.

Petra wished she hadn't said anything. She did not think of it that way, but the truth still stood. They wouldn't come back, and he wouldn't feel better...but Ronan deserved no less than death.

"Well," starts Rocket solely, breaking the tension, "we oughta drink to that. Full shots, on me," he waves at the waiter and orders. The group revert their attention to the drinks being served.

There was bad, and then there was...diabolical. Ronan had taken the lives of so many. Maybe that was why Rocket loathed him almost as much as Drax. Because, just like Ronan's victims, Rocket's life was once taken from him too.

No one had the right to take a life so cruelly, and Ronan was no excuse.

However, Rocket had no intention of risking his life in a faceoff with Ronan, but he truly wished, with all his heart, that the Accuser would get what's coming to him, and that Drax would get his revenge.

"To kicking this sucker's ass," Rocket smirks, raising his glass.  
"I am Groot! (To justice!)"  
"Damn right to justice!" Rocket grins.  
"To my family," Drax smiles bitter-sweetly, raising his glass as well.

Petra eyes them one by one. What a group they were. Even though this was probably their last day together, she'd found that she'd truly connected with each and every one of them, enough to call them friends, and she hadn't had those in a very long time...and neither did they.

She smiles brightly at them, raising her glass as well. "To friends," she says,

warming their hearts.


	12. 12: Knowhere Gets Us Nowhere

Time passes slowly. Petra and Groot talked it away, and Rocket and Drax's turn had finally come, so they were stationed by the ever-so-crowded pool table, supposedly getting along quite well with each other, not for long though. Still no sign of Peter and Gamora.

"YOU SON OF A!" Rocket yells, pulling out a gun. Petra and Groot eye each other in shock.  
"Oh, no," she utters, knowing exactly who the voices belonged to. The two rush towards the crowd, Gamora and Peter too. The four were presented by the sight of a very wrathful Drax, held at gun point by an even more rage-fueled Rocket.  
"STOP IT!" shouts Gamora, immediately intervening, along with the others.  
"Wow! Wow!" Peter exclaims at Rocket's gun. "What are you doing?!" he asks in shock.  
"This vermin speaks of affairs he knows nothing about!" Drax replies furiously.  
"That is true!" Rocket yells, surprising them.

Drunk. He was definitely drunk.

"He has NO respect!" Drax continues as Petra tries to tell people to leave, Groot too, simply scaring them off, well aware of his friend's current situation.  
"That is also true!"  
"Hold on! Hold on!" Peter pleas the trigger-itchy raccoon.  
"Keep calling me vermin, tough guy! You just wanna laugh at me like everyone else!"  
"Rocket," Petra calls, her soft voice catching him off guard, "you're drunk. Alright? Nobody's laughing at you," she tries. He shakes his head furiously.  
"He thinks I'm some stupid... **thing**! He does! Well, I didn't ask to get made! I didn't ask to be **torn** apart, and put back together, over and over and turned into some…some little monster!" he cries, tears brimming in his eyes.

Petra feels her heart breaking at his word. _'You poor, poor guy,'_ she can't help thinking.

Peter eyes him sympathetically. "Rocket, no one's calling you a monster," he tells firmly.  
"He called me vermin!" Rocket snaps at him. "She called me rodent!" he points at Gamora, guilt-striking her. "And **you** called me a raccoon! **Twice**!" Peter's face reddens in regret. "Let's see if you can laugh after five or six good shots to your frickin' face!" he threatens powering up his weapon.  
"NO! NO!" they yell in union.

Petra, without thinking, and before any of them could stop her,

lunges herself

in front

of the gun.

Rocket stares at her in shock, as do they.

He wouldn't shoot her, she knew that, he knew that, and so did Groot.

Peter's heart almost beat out of his chest. He wanted to yell, to move, but he was afraid of provoking the wild animal. Gamora and Drax were worried too

...but they didn't get it.

On her knees, Petra has both her hands up, panting heavily. "Rocket," she calls calmly, "just put the gun down. This isn't worth it."

A heavy moment passes, the tension as thick as a fog. Eventually, and reluctantly, he did as told, facing the ground. She neared him cautiously, the others very wary of his reaction. In this position, she was almost exactly his height, shorter even.

He just stood there, falling hopelessly apart. She puts a hand on his shoulder. He stiffens at her touch and eyes her in confusion. She flashes him a reassuring smile...and in that very moment, all he wanted to do, was throw himself in her arms and cry, but he wouldn't, for the life of him, ever fall so low.

"You're **not** a monster, Rocket...You're just different." she attempts, but could tell, he doesn't buy it, so she tries harder. "And a goddamn genius!" she breathes. He cocks an eyebrow at her. "Who got us out of the Kyln?! Huh? Right guys?" she glares. A combination of nods and 'yeah's were uttered. "Who bought us all those shots?" she grins, making him chuckle, which, in return, made her laugh.

Drax, still drunk, was confused and irritated by the whole situation. Gamora was impressed, her respect for Petra growing by the minute. Groot was rejoiced at the exchange, disbelieving its success, and Peter was just relieved, but then again, he should have expected **she** 'd be the one to talk him down, after all, it was Petra.

"Milady Gamora," a pink Krylorian, Carina, uttered, stood formally by a doorway nearby. "I'm here to fetch you for my master."

The group eye each other in slight relief, all but Drax, who sighs irritably. "We have traveled halfway across the quadrant, and Ronan is no closer to being dead!" he exclaims, storming off angrily.  
"Drax!" Peter calls.  
"Just let him go," Petra tells disappointedly. She'd find him after all of this was over for a proper goodbye.  
"We'll be there in a minute," Gamora tells Carina. The Krylorian nods and re-enters the building. Gamora turns to Rocket and Petra on the ground. "Come on, guys," she beckons, moving. Peter follows, expecting them to do the same.

Groot waits patiently for them.

For all those past years, no one, **no one** , had ever been able to calm Rocket down so efficiently. With every passing minute, Petra was becoming in-expendable in Groot's eyes.

He could see,

she held the key,

to Rocket's true freedom from his past.

"You ready?" Petra asks Rocket. He nods firmly, wiping at his face.  
"Yeah," he sighs, then turns to face her, smirking, "Let's go get rich."

* * *

"Okaaay, this isn't creepy at all," says Rocket as the five enter the Collector's home.  
"Yeah, tell me about it," agrees Petra from beside him. Rocket eyes her admirably, thoughts running about his head that shouldn't be, making him wonder what the heck was wrong with him, hoping he was sober enough to suppress from doing anything stupid.

"We house the galaxy's largest collection of fauna, relics, and species of all manner." Carina narrates.

Rocket sees a dog held behind glass. If he wasn't still tipsy from all the drinking, he would have thought it cruel and disgusting to lock the poor creature up, but instead, Rocket gave him a growl to show who's dominant, which was ridiculous, cause it was just a dog, in a space suit.

Petra rolls her eyes at Rocket. "Come on, tough guy," she tells. He simply grins in reply.

They venture deeper inside the museum of creatures and objects held behind glass, a home of a mad man no doubt. Alas, there he was, covered in fur as white as his hair, sunglasses on without a sun. The leather-suited man approaches them.

"I present to you, Taneleer Tivan, the Collector," Carina states with no actual interest, more like fear.

"Oh, my dear Gamora. How wonderful to meet you in the flesh," he greets, removing his glasses, placing a kiss on her hand, igniting a pinch of jealousy in Peter's heart.

"What a creep," Rocket whispers to Petra, who lets out a quiet chuckle, Groot smiling behind them. Peter glares at them. Like a group of teenagers, they shut their mouths up, trying to stiffen their laughter. Peter looks away and the three grin at each other.

"Let's bypass the formalities, Tivan. We have what we discussed," Gamora says.

The Collector, about to agree, takes notice of Groot. His eyes go wide. "What is that **thing** there?"  
"I am Groot," the **thing** answers.

The Collector approaches Groot in awe. Rocket is leaning on a table, glaring at the white-head threateningly. Petra was being cautious, uncertain how either of the duo would react to the weirdo. "I never thought I'd meet a **Groot**. Sir, you must allow me to pay you now, so that I may own your carcass. At the moment of your death, of course," he says.

The four eye him in disgust, Rocket unable to suppress a growl. Groot thinks for a moment, the only word running across his mind being 'money'. "I am Groot. (I don't mind.)" he says, shocking Rocket in the process. The Collector was clearly demented.  
"Why, so he could turn you into a frickin' chair?!" he exclaims.  
"That's your pet?" the Collector asks irritably. Groot scowls. _'Oh, shit,'_ Petra and Peter think in sync. Twin thing.  
"His what?!" Rocket pulls out his gun again. Petra quickly crouches beside him, taking hold of the weapon, and his hand. He stiffens again.  
"Rocket!" she tries snapping him out of it. He looks to her, an almost apologetic look in his eyes, wondering why she was so damn gorgeous, which was ironic because most men wouldn't look twice at her. She was too normal in their opinion, so why did Rocket think so fondly of her? even as a drunk.

"Tivan!" Gamora warns. She sighs tiredly. _'What a night?'_ she wonders. "We have been halfway around the galaxy, retrieving this orb," she tells.

The Collector eyes her irritably, then sighs. "Very well, then. Let us see what you brought," he says.

Gamora looks to Peter. He pulls the Orb from his knapsack, attempting to hand it out, dropping it instead, making his sister chuckle down from beside Rocket, who smirked at the Quill's idiocy as well. He quickly grabs it before hitting the ground, glaring at the two in the process, then handing it to Tivan. The raccoon was really getting on his nerves. He was used to Petra's mockery, not Rocket's.

Tivan takes the orb and walks over to the midst of the room. He places it on a table, between two robotic arms that had taken the liberty of opening up the once thought un-openable Orb. As the arms worked, the Collector began to explain exactly what the Orb was, as holograms emit around them, showing pictures of colored stones and the nine realms.

"Oh, my new friends. Before creation itself, there were six singularities. Then the universe exploded into existence, and the remnants of these systems were forged into concentrated ingots. Infinity Stones. These stones, it seems, can only be brandished by beings of extraordinary strength. Observe," he tells.

They look and see an enormous, stone-made giant, holding an equally giant scepter, a purple stone as it's center gem, and the source of its power. Upon colliding the scepter with the ground, the six, along with Carina and the Collector, observed as it was able to consume an entire plan, obliterating it and everyone on it. "These carriers can use the stone to mow down entire civilizations, like wheat in a field."

Petra eyes the unfolding scene in shock. Surely this was a joke, surely they haven't been carrying around a nuclear weapon, surely they weren't just about to hand it to this mad man!

"There's a little pee coming out of me right now," Peter says. The group eye him in disgust, Petra glaring, hoping he'd learn to think before he spoke someday. They try to ignore him as the Collector continues.

"Once, for a moment, a group was able to share the energy amongst themselves, but even **they** were quickly destroyed by it," he tells, allowing them to watch the hologram with another scene of five to six people, attempting to do as said before they were vaporized to purple ashes.

The Collector stops. The arms stop. Everything stops. He looks at the now fully uncovered Infinity Stone. The man shakes with excitement. "Beautiful! Beyond compare."

Petra eyes him in distress. How could something so deadly be considered beautiful?! "Blah, blah, blah. We're all very fascinated, whitey! But we'd like to get paid," Rocket said irritably. Petra hoped that it was just the drinks that had blinded him to what they were about to do.

"How would you like to get paid?" Tivan asked casually, closing the holograms and walking off, leaving the stone quite vulnerable.  
"What do you think, fancy man? Units!" Rocket answers in annoyance, following him along with the group.  
"Very well, then," he nods, heading to open a drawer.

"Guys! Wait!" Petra whispers to them. Gamora eyes her, and she knows, they were thinking the same thing. It was too late though.  
"Carina," the Collector calls in a tone that caught their uneasy attention. The Krylorian was stood directly in front of the stone. "Stand back," he warns.

Carina eyes him daringly. "I WILL NO LONGER BE YOUR SLAVE!" she shouted wrathfully...grabbing it.

Things escalated quickly after that. Other than explosions, screaming, and a heck load of purple, Petra couldn't remember much else. Not like she got the chance when Groot rushed to carry both her and Rocket out of the place before it blew up in their faces.

* * *

Out at last, Petra looks at the building lit up in flames. Her heart beat quickness. She scuttles off the floor. "Peter!" she yells, "Peter!" She attempts to head inside, but something takes hold of her hand and pulls.  
"Are you crazy?!" Rocket asks in shock.  
"My brother is in there!" she yells fearfully.

Rocket looks at the building. There was no way he'd still be alive. Rocket turned to her once more, giving a very hesitant head shake. She tilts her head desperately at him, tears glossing her emerald-green eyes, begging him not to say it.

Seeing her like this, it hit him, **hard**.

"Petra!" a voice called, one she knew all too well. Petra's eyes widen in shock and joy. She turns to see her brother and Gamora exiting the flames. She throws herself in his arms, shaking. He hugs her back with equal force, after all, he too had been frantically searching the ruins for her.  
"Don't ever do that again!" she pleas. He smiles at her, just as relieved.

"What do you still have it for?!" they hear Rocket yell at Gamora, who held the now closed and secured Orb in her hand.  
"Well, what were we gonna do, leave it in there?!" Peter retorts, pulling away.  
"I can't believe you had that in your purse!" Rocket tells, honestly shocked at the amount of power that thing held, slightly sober now, slightly.  
"It's not a purse, it's a knapsack!" Peter tells irritably.  
"Guys! This is **so** not important right now!" Petra shouts.  
"We have to bring this to the Nova Corps. There's a chance they can contain it," Gamora tells.  
"Yeah. I think it's our safest option," Petra says  
"Wha- Have you both lost your marbles?!" Rocket asks in surprise, "They'll lock us up! Why don't you just give it to Ronan?!"  
"So he can destroy the galaxy?!" Peter exclaims, even though Rocket was only being sarcastic.  
"What are you, some Saint all of a sudden?! What has the galaxy ever done for you?! Why would you wanna save it?!"  
"Because I'm one of the idiots who lives in it!" 

"Peter, listen to me," Gamora starts, placing a hand on his shoulder. His sister cocks an eyebrow at the exchange, not taking Gamora for a being a touchy person. How the heck does Peter do it?!

"We cannot allow the stone to fall into Ronan's hands. We have to go back to your ship and deliver it to Nova," she continues. Peter places a hand on hers, the one holding the Orb. She doesn't pull back. _'What the heck happened between them?!'_ wondered Petra wildly.

They too connected, **that** was what happened. Before the fiasco with the Collector, they were killing time together, and even though it was against Gamora's will at first, they ending up having a meaningful discussion about Gamora's real dad, and Thanos, who kidnapped, tortured, and turned her into a weapon. She also convinced Peter to tell her about his Walkman, out of curiosity. He told her that it was given to him by his mom, that it meant a lot to him...and, for a moment, she'd forgotten all about his reputation as a womanizer, just a moment.

"Right, right, okay. I think you're right," Peter tells her. Petra could see though, knowing him so well, that there was a 'but' following those words.

"OR," he starts, Petra smirks, "we could give it to somebody who's **not** going to arrest us, who's really nice for a whole lot of money." Gamora pulls back, shaking her head in disappointment as Peter resumed his blabbering. "I think it's a really good balance between **both** of your points of view." He switches glances between the three of them.

"Peter!" Petra yells in shock, "Are you **seriously** **still** thinking about the money?!" she asks. He widens his eyes at her, looking as innocent as a child.  
"You're despicable," Gamora tells him in disgust, he eyes her in shock too, wondering what he said that was so wrong.  
"I-"  
"Dishonorable. Faithless!" she continues, heading to walk off.

Then, she stopped dead in her tracks. "Oh, no," she uttered.

Before them, Drax stood with pride, holding two knives in each hand. "At last! I shall meet my foe and destroy him!" he exclaims at the arriving fleet, belonging to the one and only,

Accuser.

"You called Ronan?!" Peter asks, as shocked as the rest.  
"Quill!"

the least

expected

person

yelled.


	13. 13: Damn It, Drax!

"Don't you move, boy!" shouts **Yondu**. The Quills eye him in shock. They **so** did not need this right now.

Neither did he! Yondu didn't actually think he'd find them here! He freakin' sent them a warning message, behind the Ravagers' backs of course, that specifically stated **not** to be there.

Unfortunately, said message had been sent an hour ago, and they hadn't been on the Milano for at least two hours to even see it! What a grand misunderstanding!

"Get to the pods!" yelled Gamora. The group follows with haste, all but Drax, who stands tall to meet his adversary.

Gamora doesn't wait, ripping open a door of a pod that had just landed, throwing out the person inside. "We can't let them get the Orb!" she tells.  
"Got it!" Peter assures, climbing one, Petra too.

Rocket sees Groot struggling to get into one. "Groot. No. Stay. You don't know how ta use those things, you don't even fit in it!" he tells.  
"I am Groot. (I want to help.)"  
"Well, what am I supposed to do?! **Shove** you in? I told you, you can't fit. Now, wait here. I'll be back," Rocket tells.

The four take off, Ronan's goons immediately follow on their own mini-ships. "Incoming!" Rocket warns. They all drive to evade the shots.  
"These things aren't equipped with weaponry! We need to get to the Milano! We can fight em off from there!" Peter tells through the coms.  
"Sure! We'll just make sure not to DIE ALONG THE WAY!" Rocket yells sarcastically, quite sober now. If only Drax had sobered up before he started this shit!  
"Guys! These pods are industrial grade, they're nearly indestructible!" Petra says, cutting off their bickering.  
"Not against necroblasts, they're not!" Rocket retorts.  
"That's not what I'm saying!" Petra draws. Peter grins at his sister's wild ideas, Rocket quite impressed, Gamora as well.  
"Ohhh!" the two males utter in union. Petra rolls her eyes at their silliness, heading to attack.

She takes a sharp turn, stops beside the fleeting fleet of ships. Petra grips the controls, a mad grin on her face. A little too late did the Kree pilot notice the pod, going at full speed, dive into his ship, rendering it hopelessly sinking to the ground with a lethal crash.

"Wooow! You go, Red!" exclaims Rocket, following after and doing the same, a little too excitedly.  
"Guys! We have to keep them off Gamora till she gets to the Milano!" Peter yells.  
"On it!" confirms Petra.  
"You bet ya!" joins Rocket.

A few (BOOMs!) there, a few (BAMs!) here and most of the Kree ships had already been taken out, but, eventually, their luck ran out. Petra's pod was critically shot. Tumbling down at a dangerous speed, the Quill girl did her best to keep the crash as smooth and as painless as possible. Her breathing quickened with every passing second. She could hear her brother yell her name through the coms, but she simply could not be distracted right now.

And three,

two,

one

...BOOM!

"Petra!" Peter yells.  
"I got it! Just watch Gamora's back!" Rocket tells, diving down after her. Peter reluctantly does as told as more Kree piled up against the Zen-Whoberi.  
"I'm-I'm okay!" she tries telling through the coms, coughing from the smoke and hissing in pain. Upside down, Petra unbuckles herself, falling face first. She breaks the pod's windscreen, crawling out, hurting all over.

Rocket reaches her, hovering above her in his pod, feeling an unusual amount of concern for the girl. "Red! You good?"  
"Yeah," she tells, griping her waist, "Go on! I'll meet you guys at the ship. Just make sure they don't get that Orb!" she tells in haste.  
"Quill, she's alright!" he informs. Peter and Gamora sigh in relief.  
"Go!" she insists.

Rocket hesitates in complying. "I am Groot. (Are you okay?)" Groot asks, appearing out of nowhere, heading towards Petra.  
"Groot!" Rocket exclaims thankfully. "Keep an eye on her, will ya?" he tells.  
"I am Groot. (Of course.)"  
"Rocket!" Petra yells furiously, motioning for him to leave, hoping he could keep an eye on her brother, since she couldn't.  
"I'm going! I'm going!" he flies off.

"I am Groot," Groot says, placing his hands on her arms securely. She assumed he was asking if she was fine. He was.  
"I'm okay. Come on, let's go," she tells.

The two move out. Petra has her gauntlets wired up and ready to fire. She was wary of coming across any of the Ravagers, or Yondu himself, but, fortunately, she didn't.

Fact is, when they saw them take off in the pods, Yondu ordered them to head back to their ship and chase them off with it, another attempt at stalling for them.

Petra and Groot finally reached the ship, which looked to be in great distress. They enter in haste. "Okay," Petra starts, "you might wanna hold on to something," she tells Groot, heading up to the navigation deck. Groot follows her and seats himself on a chair next to her.

Petra eyed the several Kree a few ways at the front. She started up the ship, hovering it a few feet off the ground. She looks to Groot. "Wanna help?" she asks. Groot nods quickly.

"I am Groot."

"Okay. You see these? Grab em, aim, then press the buttons," she explains. He nods again and does as told, holding off the fire till they were ready.

Petra charges in on the Kree, and, before they realized what was happening, they were being shot down one after the other.

Groot grins at Petra, fairly excited. She grins back. Despite the fact that their lives were at stake, they were actually having fun.

Minutes later, Petra and Groot witness as the remaining Kree ships from far off were fleeing away.

Groot and Petra eye each other warily, both thinking the same thing. If the Kree were leaving, they must have gotten what they came for, now what did that mean for their friends?

Their fearful thoughts were soon interrupted. Before their eyes, they see the Accuser himself, dragging a hopefully only unconscious Drax across the floor and to a pool filled with thick yellow substance.

"I am Groot!"  
"No! Wait! We cannot take him on," Petra tells disappointedly, fearing for their lives. Groot knows she's right, but they couldn't just abandon Drax! Even if this was all his fault.

Ronan dumps Drax into the pool, then walks away.

The minute he's out of sight, Petra makes her way out of the ship, Groot following. They storm towards the pool. Groot immediately pulls Drax out of it, Petra unsure what to do till he dropped him out.

She knelt beside him, shaking him. "Drax!" she calls. No answer. Groot joins her on the floor. She watches as he elongates one of his wood-made fingers, stabbing Drax in the chest with it. Her eyes go wide in shock and she's about to tell him off when the Destroyer actually came to, goo spluttering out of his mouth. Petra pushes him up straight, patting him on the back.

A pod crashes and falls down near them. The three watch expectantly as Rocket makes his way out of it, mumbling furiously. "Blasted idiot! They're all idiots!" he tells himself.  
"Rocket," Petra starts in a tone that said she knew, fairly well, she wasn't going to like what he had to say.

How was he supposed to tell her what happened? _'Just rip off the bandage!'_ he thought.

"Your stupid brother! just got himself captured!" he tells.  
"What?!" she exclaims, leaving Drax in Groot's hands, standing up. "How?!"  
"He was trying to save Gamora-long story short-Yondu has him now," he explains embarrassingly, even though there was only so much he could do to stop him.

Petra let's out a sigh of relief that they don't notice. He was safe. Peter was safe, with Yondu. "And none of this **ever** would have happened if you didn't try to **single** - **handedly** take on a FRIKIN' ARMY!" he yells at Drax. 

Petra turns to eye them, pushing her thoughts aside. "You're right. I was a fool...All the anger...all the rage...was just to cover my loss," Drax explains. Groot puts a comforting hand on his shoulder. Petra eyes him sympathetically.

Rocket however...

"Oh, boo-hoo-hoo! 'My wife and child are dead!'" the raccoon mocks. Groot gasps.  
"Rocket!" Petra warns.

Even though this was Drax's fault, a drunk Drax's fault, Petra couldn't see how blaming one another was helping anybody, especially knowing how hard this must have been for the Destroyer.

"Oh, I don't care if it's mean!...Everybody's got dead people!" he tells. It hits them, hard. "That's no excuse to get everybody else dead along the way!" he snaps wrathfully at Drax.  
"Rocket, enough!" Petra yells. He eyes her in confusion.  
"Wo-w-why you trying ta defend him, huh? He's the reason your brother got captured!" he tells. Drax looks to the ground in death-impending shame.  
"What happened, **happened**. The important thing is what we're gonna do **now** ," she states, making eye contact with all of them.  
"I'll tell you what we're gonna do," Rocket starts, "Ronan has the stone. The only chance we got, is to get to the other side of the universe, as fast as we can, and maybe, just **maybe** , we'll be able to live full lives before that whack-job ever gets there!" Rocket tells seriously. Petra eyes him in shock.  
"So that's it? You're just gonna give up?" she asks.  
"You got a better idea, Red?"  
"Yeah, I do. We save Peter and Gamora

...then find a way to stop Ronan," she says.

The three eye her in shock.

She too knew, the first part wouldn't be too hard, with the right plan, but the second? that was just the adrenaline talking.

"How the fuck are **we** you gonna do that?!" Rocket asks.  
"Look, I don't know! Okay?!" she snaps back. Rocket stops as well.

He can see, she was losing her nerves, and he doesn't blame her. She had a right to shout. "But I'm not just gonna sit around, hoping to make it another day, as some maniac travels around the galaxy, spreading death and destruction all around!" she tells, painting a gruesome picture before their eyes. "Now if you don't wanna come, that's fine, I understand, I really do, but...I'm not wasting another minute."

And at that, she left, headed towards the Milano. Drax eyes her with pure respect. What he had done truly was selfish, and idiotic, the Quill girl did not deserve losing her brother for his ignorance.

He vowed

...to stand by her.

Rocket stares after her, furious. She was gonna get herself killed! And he couldn't, for the life of him, understand why he really, **really** , didn't want that to happen. He groans wrathfully.

"I am Groot. (We have to help her.)"  
"Why?!" he snaps, "We barely know her!"  
"I am Groot. (No, we do! She is Petra Quill! Our friend...)"

And at that word, Rocket cringes. 'Friend'? Yes, **yes** she was. And a good one, too.

Drax can see that whatever Groot was saying, was slowly convincing the rodent. He too rises. "I will stand by her, and the others. I owe it to them," he says.  
"Damn right, you do!" Rocket snaps at him. Drax does not reply, knowing full and well, the extent of his mistake, allowing guilt, and the need to fix things, fully consume him.  
"I am Groot. (Come on, Rocket.)"

Rocket lets out a growl, rubbing at his head. He looks around for something to throw, something to punch. Instead, he starts kicking at the ground. "You're

...Making

...Me

...Beat

...Up

...GRASS!"

* * *

"Damn it!" Petra bangs her fists on the ship that refused to start. _'This is_ ** _so_** _not the time!'_ she thinks. Petra rests her elbows on the board, burying her face in her hands, her breathing quickens as she tries to keep it together, her eyes threatening to spill out all those bottled up fears and emotions.

Who was she kidding? She had **no** clue what she was gonna do! Her brother's been kidnapped. Ronan has the stone...And she was all alone. What **could** she do?

She feels a rough, wood-made hand get placed on her shoulder. "Need a hand, Red?" Rocket asks from the other side, smirking softly.

She smiles.


	14. 14: Bad Idea

"This is a **terrible** idea," states Rocket, scouring around Petra's room for the space-suit parts.  
"It'll work. Trust me," she replies. He groans uncomfortably, extremely doubtful of that.

They were nearing the coordinates of Yondu's ship. Petra had told them that in order to save Peter and Gamora, she would have to speak with Yondu, **alone**. Rocket was really starting to believe that the girl had a death wish, especially since she didn't entirely elaborate why in the world such a plan would ever actually work!

In truth, Petra knew they would less than believe her if she told them that Yondu 'wasn't that bad' and that he actually 'had a heart', words she was most certain were quite foreign to the three males present with her on the ship. And there was no way she was showing them the message, the one she hoped she'd have seen before all the commotion on Knowhere began.

Groot was quite concerned with the plan as well, Drax too, but the Destroyer had already decided to follow the Quill without questions. He pushed his judgment of the situation far aside, considering his recently made decisions.

Rocket, however, wasn't having it.

He was getting her ready to head out alone, as requested, hoping he could talk her out of this, or figure out why she deemed the plan one hundred percent successful.

"You ain't the problem, hon," he tells, jumping onto her desk, motioning for her to near him so he'd prepare her. "it's that berry-blue creep that I don't trust."

Petra does as told, realizing that, on the desk, he was several inches taller than her, something she found slightly unnerving, unsure why he was even in here.

She was planning on getting ready on her own. Instead, here he was, doing it for her, whilst worrying out of his mind, which, honestly, warmed her heart. She realized that she now had **real** friends, ones that actually seemed to **truly** care about her wellbeing.

Time was constantly proving to her that **leaving** was the right choice. Of course, she had a big feeling she would regret it either way after meeting up with Yondu.

That damned message! Why did he have to make her feel so guilty?!

Still, she would have been more hurt if he **hadn't** sent it, if he truly **didn't** care.

Petra rolls her eyes as he works, trying not to think about how close he was, instead, she wondered about what he was getting at. She knew he was pushing for the truth, but it was one he wouldn't understand. Still, no harm in trying. "Look, I'm gonna be honest here," she starts. Rocket's ears perk up in interest as his hands fix the vest on her tightly. "Yondu's the closest thing Peter and I have to a father. And, I know that, deep down, there is a small part of him that actually considers us…his own."

Rocket refrains from scoffing at all the sentiment, his sense-full mind talking rather than his sarcasm. "Yeah, but you don't know that for **sure**."

Petra cocks a daring eyebrow at his words. She raises a hand at him to stop. He does so in annoyance. She rushes to her bedside, grabs a device from one of the shelves, then hurries back to him. Petra pushes a button and a hologram appears with Yondu in it. He looked to be in haste.

 _"Alright, listen up, you brats! I don't got a lota' time here. We're headed your way, so you better get your butts out of Knowhere before we do! Got it? P.S: You're_ ** _still_** _not forgiven for running off on me… especially you, Peta."_ Petra grimaces at that. Rocket notes her reaction.  
 _"Hey, boss-"_ Yondu shuts the hologram off.

Petra smirks victoriously. Rocket wonders why he hadn't already seen this. She was right though, Yondu did seem, if only partially, **hurt** by their departure. "This was sent two hours before the Ravagers and Ronan attacked. Still think he doesn't care?" she asks.  
"You could have freakin' **started** with that!" he tells irritably. She rolls her eyes.  
"Yondu doesn't like showing people his soft side. If **you** led an army of filthy, savage, criminals, you wouldn't either. Cause if they even **smell** sentiment, they'd throw you off."  
"Yeah, but what does **that** have to do with me, Groot, and the walking mountain?!" Petra tries not to smirk at Drax's new nickname.  
"If the plan goes accordingly, you and Yondu are most likely to meet. And if he finds out I showed this to a group of total strangers, then he **would** actually kill me!" she tells jokingly. Rocket doesn't find it funny.

He scowls, resuming his work. "That is just missed up." She chuckles. It may have been indeed, but it was Yondu, and she'd grown to accept his complex personality.  
"Yeah."

Rocket, without thinking, pushes loose strands of her hair off her shoulder to pull over another buckle, his fingers accidently brushing the side of her cheek. His eyes go wide at the action and he immediately looks onward, having never been more thankful for his cloak-like fur, well-aware how hard he was blushing at just that, switching glances between his working hands and her eyes nervously.

Petra too had frozen at the collision, a blush creeping up her cheeks that he didn't notice. She looked to the ceiling in hopes of 'acting casual', unsure why on earth she was feeling this way.

Was she really that lonely?! She couldn't remember the last time she'd been with someone. It wasn't like the Ravagers gave her much options.

In all her life, Petra had up to two or three one-nighters, but that was such a long time ago, when her wild, teen-age side was dominant. Then she stopped, realizing it was meaningless, and therefore pointless. She decided to push the whole concept aside and focus on her work…until now.

 _'What the hell is wrong with you?! He's a goddamn raccoon!'_ she thought to herself. Maybe it was the gained height, and the fact that he looked, in posture, talked, and acted like any other guy!

Petra mentally slapped herself, several times at that, shoving those thoughts aside.

"Alright, you're good to go," he told, snapping her back to reality. She cleared her throat awkwardly, hoping she hadn't been staring.  
"Right. Thanks, Rocket," she smiles, truly meaning it, forcing a smile on him too. He scratches the back of his neck nervously.  
"Yeah, yeah," he brushes off. Then stops. "Just…watch your back out there, well ya?" Petra's smile widens.  
"Of course."

* * *

Petra and Rocket exist the room, heading up to the upper deck. Drax catches up with Petra in the kitchen. Rocket had already left.

"Petra. May I speak with you?" he requests. She wasn't expecting it, but why not?  
"Sure, Drax. What's up?"

The look on his face told her all she needed to know.

She allowed him to speak, knowing it would make things better for the two of them.

"I…I want to apologize…for my behavior on Knowhere. If…I hadn't been so foolish…we wouldn't be in this mess-" She cuts him off.  
"Drax." He stops, wary of her reaction. "I already forgave you," she smiles.

He looks confused. She elaborates. "Look, I know how hard it can be to lose someone…," her face falls, her memories rushing forward like a train,

"to watch them get taken from you…right before your eyes…knowing there's nothing you can do to stop it,"

her eyes tear up,

his too,

but she had to say this,

she had to prove her point. "It makes you do crazy things," she laughs sorrowfully, he smiles as well.

"I guess, what I'm trying to say is…I understand."

Drax eyes her in both sympathy, and gratitude. She truly was an honorable person. "Who did you lose?" he asks in an attempt to comfort her.  
"…My mother," she smiles, trying to pull it together. Drax puts a firm hand on her shoulder.  
"She would have been truly proud…of the woman you have become."

Petra smiles brightly at his words, unable to hold back her tears any longer. She pulls the Destroyer into a much needed hug, for the both of them.

Drax holds onto her tightly. She reminded him so much of his daughter. She would have been about the same age as Petra by now, and he hoped her heart would have been as kind and forgiving as the Quill-girl's was.

A clearing of a throat breaks them off. They look to see Rocket at the bottom of the ladder that led to the navigation deck, arms crossed.

He doesn't know what came over him, but he was pissed, purely pissed, at the exchange that went on between the Destroyer and Petra. "I hate to break up the cuddle party," he told with bitter sarcasm, embarrassing them, "but we're here. Now get moving!" he yells before climbing up again.

Drax and Petra eye each other weirdly at Rocket's attitude. He was definitely high-maintenance.

* * *

"You betrayed me!" Yondu yells at Peter, giving him a show-off kick to satisfy the crew. He had no idea what to do. He prayed that the Quill would find some way to convince him, well, convince the others, that he was still useful somehow. "Steal my money!" he kicks again. Peter groans in pain, Gamora freaking out, struggling to get free of the several men that restrained her.

The truth was, Peter hadn't thought this through, at all.

When he saw Gamora, on the brink of death, he didn't think of what Yondu would do,

he didn't think how he'd get out of it

…he didn't think of Petra.

One thing he knew for sure, was that he could not watch another woman he cared for, die before him,

and he'd stand helpless at stopping it

…Not this time.

Gamora honestly wasn't expecting him to do this, nor was she expecting Nebula to actually shoot her sky-high. She had never felt more betrayed, her own sister.

And, yet, had never felt more cared for, when Peter saved her life.

Suddenly, the ship shakes. Shots could be heard. Yondu orders his men to take Peter and Gamora to the cells as they continue to struggle. Yondu hoped, whatever this was, would buy him time to think of something to get that idiot out of this mess.

Yondu hurries up to the pilots. "Captain!" one of them acknowledges, "The shot was non-damaging," he tells. Yondu looks through the windscreen and sees what he hoped he wouldn't see, but should have expected seeing, the Milano.

Of course Petra would come for the twin.

A voice talks through their speakers as they witness two figures exit the ship from the top hatch, one being Petra, the other being Drax, who was helping her, but Yondu couldn't see either of them quite well.

 _"Attention idiots!"_ the voice shouts, Rocket's.

On their way to the lower deck, Gamora and Peter's eyes go wide upon recognizing who the voice belonged to.

Peter was hoping, for the life of him, that Petra wouldn't do this, but he should have known better.

 _"A mad woman, by the name of Petra Quill, is risking her life for a tea party with the idiot you call Yondu!"_ he informs, knowing full and well, he was crossing several lines, grateful Petra couldn't hear him, as Groot glared at him from the adjacent chair. _"Now, should this woman be harmed in_ ** _any_** _way, the lunatic next to her is holding a Hadron Enforcer,"_

They see Petra begin flying towards them using her Roosters. "Open the hatch, boy!" Yondu orders one of his men, wondering who on earth was the idiot talking and what the heck a Hadron Enforcer was.

 _"a weapon of my own design,"_ Rocket answers his unspoken question.

Said weapon comes to focus in sight, considering how big it was. "What the hell?" Yondu utters in worry at it.

Petra thought **that** part of the plan was extreme, but Rocket told her it was just to scare them.

"Cap, she's here," a Ravager tells. Yondu walks off, Rocket was still audible across the entire ship.

 _"He's gonna tear your ship, a new one! A very_ ** _big_** _one!"_ he grins, _"And to top it off,"_ his face falls dead serious. He nears the com system. _"I'll come in there myself, claw your face off, rip out your eyeballs! and feed em to you."_

Rocket then leans back in his chair, grinning. He looks to Groot, whose eyeing him in pure shock. "What?" he asks innocently.

Yondu cocks an eyebrow at the last statement. Who the fuck was this asshole?! A bitter taste developed in his mouth upon thinking that he might be a boyfriend.

Petra too had reached the ship just in time to hear this. Her eyes go as wide as windows, praying to god that Rocket wouldn't get them all killed. Gamora and Peter thought the same.

Yondu reaches the Quill-girl. He stops before her, feeling his heart beat faster. His little Peta girl. look at her, coming all the way over her to save her brother.

Petra was doing her best to keep together, stunned at how overwhelming this stand alone was. "Leave," Yondu orders his men. They eye him in shock. He glares at them. They reluctantly comply.


	15. 15: Negotiation

_'_ _So. Freaking. Hard!'_ was the only thought that ran through Petra's mind as she walked the same corridor, climbed the same stairs, passed the same people she'd been with her whole life as her and Yondu made their way to his quarters, like any other day would have been had they not originally left,

but, this time, it was different.

Somehow, the ship felt colder, darker, as, all around her, looks of disgust, jealousy...and pure hatred, were sent her way. Petra knew, Yondu too, had he not been standing so closely and protectively as they walked, there was a high chance someone would try to shoot her down.

 _'Rocket was right; this_ ** _is_** _a terrible idea,'_ she couldn't help thinking.

But no. She had to do this. For Peter. She couldn't-No- **wouldn't** just abandon him. No way she was ever gonna make it on her own.

And then there was Yondu. He was a whole other problem. She had run off on him and, after re-entering this hell hole and seeing the look on his face when he saw her, she knew, he was hurt, more than anything else, and it killed her, knowing she was the reason why.

Alas, they reached the room. Yondu opened the door, entering after her and closing it. He was well aware that his overly-compassionate inventor was having a hard time coping with being around him, and he honestly appreciated that, but he didn't want her to feel this way.

It wasn't like it was easy for him either though. Since they'd given him the slip, he'd been mulling it over, the fact that, eventually, he'd have to accept, letting them go, and he'd have to accept that, now, he was going to have to **say** it, which would make it official...and that scared him most.

Petra was stood in the middle of the room, looking around nervously. Yondu realized it was best to start with something that would lighten her thick mood. "So, the deranged creep that threatened to claw off my face, is he some kind of…boyfriend?" he asked in disgust.

Petra's eyes went wide. That was the last thing she thought he'd ask her. Why **would** he even ask that? "Oh! No! No," she laughs, embarrassed. Yondu cocks a suspicious eyebrow. "That's just Rocket…He's…a raccoon," she explains, a bit disappointedly at that, well aware that they were extremely off topic.

Yondu furrows his eyebrows. "What's a raccoon?" he asks. Petra sighs tiredly.  
"It doesn't matter. It's not what I've come to talk about, obviously," she tells grimly, crossing her arms as if to shield herself. Yondu eyes her expectantly.  
"What **did** you come to talk about then?" he questions, his expression was one that made her heart squeeze in place with both anger, and shame.  
"Don't look at me like that!" she laughs hesitantly, looking at everything **but** him.  
"Like what?" Yondu asks, wanting to hear the truth, the full truth.  
"Like what me and Peter did was so damn awful! You of all people should know why we did it, alright?!" she tells, her voice cracking, Yondu eyes her sympathetically. He was afraid this would happen. She always was so emotionally sensitive. "We never meant to **hurt** you! I-I never…meant to-"

Yondu cuts her off as tears start spilling from her sad eyes. He pulls her into his arms, shushing softly. She grasps his red, leather jacket tightly, weeping into his shoulder. So much for keeping it together. "I-I'm so sorry!" she cries.  
"Don't say that," the Zatoan demands, pulling back. He cups her small face in his blue hands, wiping a tear with his thumb. "You have nothing to be sorry about. **Nothing**. You hear me?" he tells.

Petra eyes him in slight shock. She wasn't expecting him to say that, at all. Still, she didn't think she'd ever been happier to hear it.

"Now stand tall, girl. Remember what you're here for," he says, letting her go and taking a step back. She had no idea how hard this was for him, but he was more than relieved that things have somewhat cleared up between them.

Petra takes a breath, and nods firmly. "Right. Peter," she notes. Yondu nods in confirmation.  
"Now, you know what those guys out there are like. They ain't just gonna let em waltz out with nothing to gain. You better tell me you've got something."  
"I do. I do…"

"Well?" he pushes, wondering why she stopped.  
"Do you know what an Infinity stone is?" she asks suddenly. A look of realization comes across his face.  
"You bet your dimwit brother I do. **And** , I also know that that lunatic, Ronan, has one now, because of you and your merry new friends is what I heard. How the heck did you'll get tangled up in that maniac's hairs anyways?!" he exclaims.

It did more than worry him half to a heart attack when he found out that Ronan, **the** Ronan, was after **his** little twins. How the heck did that happen?!

Petra, on the other hand, was, yet again, guilt-stricken. She knew fair and well that Ronan getting that stone was partially their fault, and she planned on making things right.

"That's…a long story. Look the point is, he has it. And he's headed to Xander," she tells fearfully. Yondu eyes her understandingly, knowing exactly what Ronan intended to do when he got there. "He's gonna kill millions, no, **billions** of people, Yondu. And then…he's gonna go after the rest of the galaxy,

till there's

nothing

left."

The Zatoan's eyes widen. He hadn't thought about that part yet. "You and I both know, **running** won't be an option for long," she continues.  
"What exactly are you trying to say here, Peta?"  
"I'm saying

…I think we can stop him."

He cocks an eyebrow in a combination of surprise, mockery, and curiosity, after all, she wasn't stupid. "And how in the **world** are we gonna do that?"

Petra takes a moment to recollect her thoughts. She'd already gone over this with Rocket, Drax and Groot, will, mainly the **idea** of doing so, but, in the end, it seemed the **key** to stopping Ronan, was right there with them.  
"…Gamora."

Yondu furrows his eyebrows at her. "The assassin, the one that **works** for that son of a bitch?!"  
"She **doesn't.** Not anymore," Petra tells firmly, defending Gamora. "The point is; she **knows** Ronan, better than any of us do. She knows his ways, his weaknesses, and, she knows his **ship** , inside out."

The Zatoan thinks it over. She had a point. Could there really be a chance? "Okay. But what about the stone? It's lethal, right? Can 'kill us all' if left exposed."  
"Well, Rocket and I, we may have found something that can help with that."

Yondu cocks an eyebrow at the name again. That Rocket was starting to get on his nerves. "Remember that mission you gave Peter and I, on Sovereign? Remember those bulky, unbreakable orb thingies they used to contain their batteries in?" she asks.  
"Yeah."  
"They can, most definitely, contain that stone."  
"Right," Yondu starts, "Because it's gonna be so **easy** to even come **near** it," he notes in sarcasm. Petra rolls her eyes at him, then smirks.  
"You've heard of the Hadron Enforcer, right?" A look of recognition crosses his features. "That thing has enough charge to blow up a **moon**."

Yondu's eyes go wide. "Still think we don't have a chance?" she asks slyly.

"Now, I think, once we get the stone. I haven't told the others about this yet, but, I think the best thing to do, would be to hand it over...to the Nova Corp," she tells, wary of his reaction.  
"Are you outta your mind, girl?!" Yondu asks in shock.  
"Just, hear me out...Yondu, I've **seen** what this stone could do. Nova Corp are our only chance at containing it and making sure it doesn't fall into the wrong hands."  
"And what makes you think you can trust em? Hmm?"  
"Because they're our last option!" she tells.

Her face then lights up. "Now. Imagine. Not only do we help them defeat Ronan, but we personally deliver them...an infinity stone...Imagine how generously they would pay up."

And at those words, Yondu's mind clicked. Those were the words he liked to hear most. "Your men would never doubt you again, and they'd lay off me and Peter!" she tells enthusiastically.

Every part of the Zatoan wanted to believe her, and he **did** , but he knew, fair and well, his 'men' weren't so easy-going. He pinches the bridge of his nose in exhaustion. "Look, Petra. I know you've put a lot of thought into this plan o' yours, and I honestly, truly believe it would work," he starts. She could sense a 'but' from a mile away. " **But** , you of all people should know, the last thing this crew of scums are willing to do, is make a deal with the Corps."

At that,

Petra's mind goes blank.

"I'm sorry, baby girl, but they won't help you."

He was right. For god's sake, she was once a Ravager too, and, back then, she never would have partied with Nova either. How could she not think of that?!

Petra walks back and seats herself on a chair, sighing. "You're right," she says, resting her head on her clenched hands.

Disappointment washes down on Yondu's face. The plan was near perfect, but there was always a down side, always.

Yet, if one tries hard enough, they could always find...a loop hole.

Petra's head perks up, a light bulb going off. She wasn't entirely sure, but this just might work. "What about the stone?" she asks suddenly, cutting off the Zatoan's thoughts.  
"What about it?" he asks back, confused.  
"I mean," she starts, standing up, "what if you told your men, that the stone would be in **their** possession?" Yondu widens his eyes.  
"Are you outta your goddamn mind?! You want to give a weapon of mass destruction to **them**?!" he yells, pointing at the door.

Petra is too distracted by her own thoughts to care. "We don't actually **have** to give it to them," she says, "just make them **think** we will."

* * *

In the Milano, the three males are waiting for Petra's signal. They had discussed the plan along the way. Though, one had to admit, it wasn't an easy one. They had reached a conclusion where it was officially eighty percent possible to defeat Ronan.

Drax had already made the decision to do whatever it takes to see the plan through. Groot was on board too. But Rocket? He wasn't exactly ecstatic about the remaining twenty percent. He had to ask himself, was he really going to risk his life for others, and on chance?

But he had to be honest with himself as well, when was his life never at risk? With the way he was living it, **risk** was an occupational hazard, so would he really be that shallow, that when the opportunity presented itself, he would rather risk his life for **units** , than **people**?

It was driving him crazy. One thing was for sure though, he was definitely **not** one hundred percent on board.

With all this crap piling up on him, his mind had saved him his breath, and got him to worry only about the current situation.

Rocket was sitting back on the pilot chair, legs put up on the navigation panel, hands behind his head. On the outside, he looked as relaxed as a person sitting on a cloud, but, on the inside, he was freaking out.

A dozen thoughts ran around his mind, and at the center of them, was **her** , that damned red-head. When he wasn't worrying over the fact that she was in a ship, full of freaks with anger issues, armed to the touch, he was fuming over the exchange that went on between her and Drax, which was stupid, considering he couldn't even figure out why this was bothering him in the first place.

Speak of the devil, he'd been sitting next to him for the past sixteen minutes. Yes, he's been keeping count. The point is; the Destroyer's presence was making (not thinking about it) a lot harder than it should be.

Eventually, Rocket couldn't hold back any longer. "So," he started, trying to act subtle, cutting through the silence that had been spread out through the ship, "looked like you and Red were getting pretty cozy back there."

On the chair behind him, Groot, who was mulling over the plan, he and Drax furrowed their eyebrows at the comment, though it took Drax a moment to figure out who 'Red' was. "So?" he asks in confusion. Groot was telling himself this couldn't possibly be what he thought it was.  
"Well, I'm just sayin', looked like you were getting pretty close, if you know what I mean?" he forced out a smirk to look as if he didn't care and simply thought the topic interesting, and the two other males actually bought it.

While Groot just rolls his eyes, Drax glares at Rocket in pure revulsion. "That is a **disgusting** thing to say!" Rocket raises his eyebrows, as does Groot. "She is as old as my daughter would be, rodent!"  
"Don't. Call. Me. That," Rocket warns. Drax reluctantly decides that it isn't worth it and looks onwards, ignoring him.

Groot however.

"I am Groot. (If we're gonna go through this plan, you two need to push your shit aside! and work **together**.)" he tells seriously, and irritably.

Rocket gives a sigh, Drax simply annoyed by the fact that he couldn't understand the tree. "Groot's right. The shit we're in is too important for us to keep at each other's throats."

Drax eyes him in pure confusion. "How can shit be important?" he asks. Groot chuckles as Rocket face-palms.


	16. 16: ReadySet

_"_ _Ravagers to the Milano. Permission to enter: granted,"_ the three hear through the ship. They eye each other warily.

Rocket doesn't buy it. It could be a trap. He clicks the coms and speaks through. "Yeah, I'm gonna need to hear that from the red-head herself," he tells. Drax nods in agreement. Groot is worried.

The red-head spoken of had passed by the navigation deck on her way to the cells with Yondu. The two share a look at the raccoon's words. Petra rolls her eyes and nears the ship's coms. "Rocket get your ass in here!" she tells.

Rocket smirks mischievously, chuckling to himself. "Feisty!" he whispers before clicking the coms again. "Copy that," he tells through. Drax eyes him in disgust. Groot studies him suspiciously. There was something seriously wrong with his furry friend.

Yondu cocks an eyebrow behind Petra. She turns back to him, ignoring the look.

Peter and Gamora hear Rocket comply, well aware that Petra was officially fine, and that Rocket, it seemed, was headed in, most likely with Groot. It was still unclear whether or not Drax had tagged along, and they hoped he didn't. After all, it wasn't going to be that easy looking past what he'd done on Knowhere.

Footsteps capture the attention of the two seated hostages. They stand in union, observing nervously as Petra and Yondu made their way to them. Yondu snatches the keys from one of his guards. He opens up the cell. Peter and Gamora stand back cautiously.

The Zatoan looks to Petra. "You go ahead and talk things over while I do the same with my boys," he eyes the two guards, who looked curious. "I'll let your friends know where to find you." Petra nods.  
"Thanks, Yondu."

The Zatoan gives her a warm smile, then leaves, beckoning his men to follow as he planned out his speech.

Petra entered the unlocked cell. Peter was going out of his mind crazy with questions, Gamora too.

Petra turned to them in haste, speaking quickly. "Okay, you guys know that Rocket and Groot are coming down here, right?" she asks. Peter refrains from asking anything because of how jumpy his sister was acting.  
"Yeah," he answers weirdly.  
"Okay,

well

…Drax is here too," she tells warily.

"What?!" the two others ask in disbelief.  
"You brought him here?" Gamora asks, clearly pissed.  
"After everything he's done?!" Peter questions. Petra squints her eyes at her sibling in annoyance.  
"He was drunk! He made a mistake! And now, he's trying to fix things!"  
"Oh," the twin starts in sarcasm, "'now he's trying to fix things', that sure makes me feel better! What 'bout you, Gamora. Does it make **you** feel better?"

Gamora rolls her eyes at him, turning back to Petra, who was death-glaring her brother. "Peter!" she yells cutting him off from his rant. They didn't have time for this! Drax was gonna be here any minute.  
"What?!" he asks irritably.

Petra bit her tongue. This was the only way to end this topic once and for all. She had to say it.

"When mom died,

right before our eyes," she starts.

Peter's taken aback. He glares at her to stop. Gamora finds the sudden topic troubling.

"you ran,

because there was nothing you could do to stop it. Even when it was over. We were both so angry," she speaks, a fire that ignited that very night still burning in her heart.

Peter's eyes start to tear up. He wanted her to stop. No, **needed** her to stop,

but a part of him told him,

he had to listen.

"because there was no one to blame,

no one way

…to accept

what happened."

 _'She really better have a point to all this,'_ the Quill-boy thought.

"But with Drax?" she resumed, "He can point the finger and it would hit something,

because,

 **his** murderer,

is well and alive."

The words swim through Peter and Gamora's anger towards the Destroyer.

She was right. Petra stands her ground. "Now you look me in the eyes, and tell me,

you wouldn't have done the same,

if not,

done worse," she demanded.

Peter held onto his silence. He couldn't argue with that. He wasn't going to deny the truth.

He most definitely would have done worse.

Peter looks away and washes a hand over his face. Boy did he hate it when she was right. Gamora can see the red-head had convinced him. She had convinced her as well. Neither were fairly happy about this, but looking further into it, was pointless.

"Wow, don't you all look like a nice pile of sad sacks?" a voice asks from behind them. They look to see Rocket, Groot, and Drax make their way towards them, Petra smiling at them. Groot and Rocket smile back, but Drax?

The Destroyer was highly wary of Peter and Gamora's reaction to him, but he couldn't understand the way they eyed him. Petra was thankful she'd managed to clear things up before he got here.

All that was left now, was to share what was to happen with the other two, then make out a plan of attack, as per Yondu's instructions. He advised her, more threatened, that the six of them not make it out of that cell till they had a plan.

Groot went to stand by Petra. He put a hand on her shoulder. "I am Groot. (Are you alright?)" he didn't bother with the signs since Rocket was around to translate as always. And the raccoon was grateful Groot had asked that question, cause he was honestly worried, and didn't want to seem petty for asking.  
"Groot's askin' if you're okay," he tells.  
"Yeah, I'm alright," she smiles in assurance.  
"Yeah, about that," Peter draws. They look to him. "Exactly **what** did you tell Yondu?" he asked. Petra smirks.

* * *

"You wanna do what?!" asks Rocket in shock. The six were still in the spacious cell, seated around in a circle. Petra and Rocket had been explaining their ideas on how to kill Ronan and get the stone back. Rocket also stated that he **still** wasn't entirely on board, which irritated Petra, but she hoped he'd come around once he heard it again.

It wasn't like the others, aside from Drax and Groot, were fully convinced either. Peter and Gamora were highly doubtful as well.

Then came the part that the three males didn't know about, as well as the others. "Petra, please tell me you're joking," Gamora tells.  
"That is a terrible idea!" Drax states.  
"Guys! Relax!

We're not **actually** going to give it to them," she assures.

They all eye her expectantly.

"You better start makin' some serious sense, dollface, cause I sure as hell ain't risking my back for that damned stone, just so we can give it to some other maniacs that'll do a lot worse with it!" Rocket shouts. Petra glares at him, ignoring the pet name.  
"Well, of course not!" she shouts back. He shuts up, yet again, turned on.

He then smirks, motioning for her to continue. She takes a breath. "Thank you…Now, me and Yondu talked it over. When we get the stone from Ronan and assuming we can get Nova Corp to help, which I am one hundred percent sure they will, we'll be able to trick the Ravagers into thinking they earned the stone, by replacing it with one of those orb thingies I told you about, an empty one."

It sounded silly to them, but possible. "And Yondu's okay with this?" Peter asks suspiciously.  
"Yeah. If we do this right, then the Nova will definitely reward us somehow, whether or not they intervene. And, when they do, we'll ask for units and split em with Yondu. He'll deal with the Ravagers from there."

The five take a moment to think. "So, what do you think?" she asks anxiously.  
"It's too risky," Gamora tells worriedly.  
"Damn right it is!" Rocket confirms. Petra sighs.

Drax found things too confusing, and honestly didn't care, so long as he would be able to help. Groot too.

But, there was one person who was able to see more, to look past the risks,

past the 'what ifs',

past the doubts

…and see it.

Before Peter's eyes, was a future filled with glory, respect, units,

and,

most importantly,

friends, real friends, that when all this was over, made life with them, worth living.

"Petra's right," he says, grasping their attention. They eye him in confusion. He elaborates. "Guys, you know? I look around at us, you know what I see?

Losers," he tells.

They eye him in offense. Petra pinches the bridge of her nose in exhaustion. "I mean, like, folks who've lost stuff," he quickly corrects. They reluctantly continue to listen. "And we have, man, we have. All of us

…Our homes," he eyes Gamora. She looks down, acknowledging said loss.

"Our families," he looks to Drax, then his sibling, who smiles at his words,

"Normal lives," he looks to Groot, and Rocket who, in turn, looks to the floor, hating being reminded of his past.

"And, usually, life takes more than it gives

…but not today

…Today, it's given us something

…It's given us

…a chance."

"…To do what?" asks Drax.

Peter glances at him seriously, something her rarely does. "To give a shit…For once…not run away," he tells,

and it hits them, hard, considering, all their lives, they'd done nothing **but** run.

"And I, for one, am not gonna stand by and watch, as Ronan wipes out billions of innocent lives…Who's with us?" he asks, putting an arm over his sister's shoulder, who crosses her arms expectantly, hoping this would work.

The group remain silent.

The twins eye each other in disappointment. So much for sticking together.

Then…

"You Quills, truly are, an honorable pair," Drax begins, standing, "I will fight beside you,

and, in the end,

see my wife and daughter again," the Destroyer smiles, cherishing the thought as he stood by them.

The twins and Groot smile brightly at that. Rocket was indeed, if against his will, coming around.

Gamora stands next. The others turn their attention to her. "I have lived most my life, surrounded by my enemies…I will be grateful, to die, among my **friends** ," she tells,

it warms their hearts,

all of them.

"I am Groot. (To becoming heroes.)" Groot says, rising to his feet, noting the words to Rocket especially, which irritates him by how nice it sounded.

Rocket eyes them all,

standing,

standing for the things they believed in,

for honor,

for friends

…standing…

and, in the end,

he stood too.

The raccoon gave a tired sigh. The group smile happily at his union, especially Groot and Petra. "Now I'm standing…You all happy?"  
"You bet your tail we are, Rocket," the red-head grins. Rocket smiles at her. _'Yeah, this'll be worth it,'_ he thinks.

Groot studies the exchange between them carefully, there was definitely something there, he could see it now.

"Okay!" Peter yells, clapping his hands together, startling them, "I'll go contact Nova Corp. Then we'll talk details," he tells, headed to leave.

"Oh, wait!" Petra calls. He stops. "I'll have you know, the only position I'm taking in this death-defying battle, is on a ship, with guns, lots of guns."  
"Cheers to that, Red!" Rocket agrees.

Peter thinks for a moment. _'Why not?'_ he wonders. "Sure. We can work with that," he tells, knowing fair and well, how good both of them were at piloting, so they were probably most useful airborne.

"Oh!" Drax suddenly exclaims as well. Peter turns to him in annoyance. "Can I be the one to fire the Hadron Enforcer on Ronan?" he asks. Peter raises his hands in exaggeration.  
"Yes! Why not?" Drax smiles. "Can I go now?" They stay silent. "Thank you. Now, in the meantime. Petra. Take Gamora up to Yondu, get her ready on telling us everything about Ronan's ship. Rocket. You, Groot and Drax try and get those orbs and Hadron Enforcer-"  
"Just call it H.E," tells Petra. Rocket nods, grinning. Gamora smirks as Peter sighs irritably.  
" _H.E_ up to the main deck. I'll catch up, and **then** , we'll talk details."

* * *

After the plan was shared with the Ravagers, the group had split up, each on a different area of the ship, readying themselves till they reached Xander's surface.

Petra, Rocket, Groot, and Gamora were on the Milano. Peter was talking things over with Yondu, wondering exactly **what** Petra said that made the Zatoan so easy to talk to about what had happened, and Drax was insuring the Ravagers were ready to go.

The raccoon and the red-head were in her room, adding the final touches to the H.E. "Alright. That should do it," says Rocket, "I gotta go take a leak," he tells shamelessly, rising to his feet from the ground. Petra smirks.  
"Subtle," she tells.  
"Yeah!" he calls as he walks, grinning.

Petra walks up and out of the room for some air. She enters the kitchen, where Gamora was seated on the table and Groot was rummaging the fridge. She didn't mind. "Hey," she greets. Groot looks to her and smiles, apple in hand as he closed the fridge and made his way to the table.  
"Hey," Gamora greets back contently, drink in hand.

Petra joins them. "How's it going down there?" Gamora asks. Groot ears in on the conversation with interest. Petra grins.  
"It's going great. H.E is, by far, the most powerful weapon I've ever worked on! Rocket's a goddamn genius!" she tells excitedly. Groot grins at that. Gamora smiles, happy to see someone joyful for a change.

Then her eyebrows furrow in concern, yet again, being reminded of the fact, that **one** fact,

that there was a high possibility,

she'd never see Petra,

Peter,

or any of them again.

And it scared it her.

She needed to hear someone tell her the opposite of that, and, with the little time she knew Petra, she was well aware, the Quill was the right person to talk to.

"So, you really think this'll work?" she asks, trying not to seem too concerned so as not to freak her out as well.

Petra's smile slightly fades. She had been avoiding thinking about that specific part of the plan. It wasn't exactly easy, reassuring herself. Maybe she needed to hear the words come out of her own mouth. Maybe they'd sink in and she'd actually believe them. "It has to work," she starts, "one way or another, we have to stop Ronan. And I highly believe that, no matter what happens in the process, we **will** stop him," she tells seriously. Groot is happy to hear this, he **needed** to hear this.

Gamora smiles at her words. "You are a good person, Petra," she tells truthfully. "I…" the Zen-Whoberi sighs. Petra furrows her eyebrows at her. "I don't deserve a friend like you," she tells sorrowfully, toying with her nails, constantly being reminded of the things she'd done, of **what** she was.

Groot and Petra frown at this, then, the red-head smiles. "Well, now. I do believe, that is **not** your decision to make," she smirks.

Gamora eyes her gratefully, her heart-warming to the Quill's words, who made her feel…wanted.

"Then, I am honored, to have you, as mine. All of you," she looks to Groot as well, who smiles back along with the Terran.  
"I am Groot," he tells. They are unsure what he said, but it was probably something along the same lines.  
"Even Peter," Gamora draws, eyeing the door as if the man spoken of would just walk in.

Petra notes the glitter in Gamora's eyes upon saying those words. Her and Groot share a knowing look.

Rocket then walks up and into the room, interrupting them. He eyes them warily. Groot was amongst them, and the red-head could understand him, which was most definitely worth worrying about, but he decided not to fuss over it right now, the three didn't look that suspicious anyways.

It wasn't like he'd told Groot anything about the things he'd been experiencing since Petra entered their lives, but the damned tree just knew him too well! and he'd been making very unnerving comments that Rocket had threatened to cut his tongue off for.

Still he was grateful to have someone understand him so well. He was grateful for Groot, the one good thing in his screwed up life.

Rocket walks up to Petra casually. "Think you could run off, huh?" he smirks, "Move it, princess! We got work to do!" he tells.

Petra rolls her eyes. Gamora chuckles. "You two look like you're getting along well," she notes in amusement. The two grin.  
"Getting along? Oh no, no," she starts playfully. Rocket joins in.  
"Not at all," he tells.  
"We're just-"  
"Adapting to each other's existences," he finishes.  
"Precisely!"

Gamora shakes her head at their silliness. Then Groot decides it would be hilarious to give out one of those comments that Rocket feared any of them understanding, just to tease him. "I am Groot. (Oh, get a room!)" the tree blabbers out.

Rocket snaps to him in pure shock. He feels blood rush to his cheeks, jaw drops. Then, frustration takes over.

"Why you little…" he growls, pointing a tense finger at him. Gamora and Petra share a half un-expecting- half now concerned look. Groot grins mischievously, chuckling.  
"Wow! Wow! What's with sudden flip?" Petra asks, chuckling as well. With the look on Groot's face, the two females could tell he was just harmlessly teasing his furry friend.

"Nothing!" Rocket yells exaggeratedly. He grabs the red-head by the hand, tying to ignore how uncomfortable that was making him feel. No way was he gonna leave her anywhere near that non-filtered tree's mouth! "Come on, Red!" he tells, pulling. She stumbles off the chair, following.  
"Okay! Alright!" she shares one last weirded-out look with Gamora, while Groot continued to grin in amusement.

 _"Ronan's fleet has been spotted, and will arrive in t-minus fifteen minutes,"_ they hear through the speakers. A dagger of fear stabs at all their hearts at once, each frozen in spot.

"Well, I guess it's time," Gamora states, attempting to shake it off. Groot frowns.  
"Yeah," Rocket confirms, the red-head's hand still in his.

Petra gives them a once over. _'time to get this over with,'_ her brain beckons. The Quill-girl then smirks. "Let's go kick some serious ass," she tells, making the three present smirk as well, excitement replacing terror.


	17. 17: FIGHT!

Alas, it was time. The six friends walked down the corridors of the Ravager's ship, possibly for the last time, their thoughts in shambles

...but they were ready,

they were bad-ass ready.

They split into two groups, the bigger one that consisted of Peter, Gamora, Groot, and Drax, along with the H.E, were to head to the Milano.

They would ride it in to infiltrate Ronan's ship from the inside where they would, hopefully, be able to finish him off before he reached the planet's surface.

Petra and Rocket however, were to present them with the suitable access point to said ship on their own separate planes. And the rest of the Ravagers were to help them get there safely, and deal should Ronan and his goons fight back.

Out and in the air, the fleet of Ravagers strive towards Ronan's ship, the Dark Astor. _"Let's go get em, boys,"_ Yondu calls out through the coms. Petra and Rocket share a smirk.

And dive!

 _"FIRE!"_ commands the Zatoan. The two largest Ravager ships shoot off explosives, that hit the Aster and bounce back, creating an enormous, blinding cloud of fire. _"Cover it down! Submerge!"_

 _"Petra! Hurry!"_ the Quill-boy tells his sibling, who in return, looks to Rocket, their middle pilot.  
"Rocket! Come on!"

He gives a firm nod from behind his widescreen, storming forward, her and Kraglin, another Ravager, one of Yondu's most trusted and an acquaint of Petra, right behind. The three huddle near the weak spot Gamora had told them they would find. They fire all they've got and Rocket can't help but grin with excitement. Boy did he love a good rush. _"Come onnn!"_ Kraglin draws.

Done.

 _"Quill! Yondu! NOW!"_ Rocket yells through the coms, pulling back to fight, Petra and Kraglin doing the same.

Petra struggles with the ship. Ronan had indeed released hundreds of Kree fighters on them. Things got dense, fast. There were just so many of them!

 _"I'm going down, Quill!"_ Yondu informs worriedly.  
"Yondu!" Petra yells fearfully, unsure what to do. He **was** falling, fast.  
 _"I'll be fine! See you at the end of this!"_ he tells.  
"Shit!" she utters to herself.

Yep, definitely losing it here.

 _"Red! Concentrate!"_ Rocket shouts just as a Kree pilot had almost shot her out of the sky too.

Petra rewired her focus on the situation at hand, telling herself the Zatoan would be fine.

Zooming through the skies, Petra and Rocket shot down as many as they could together, simultaneously watching each other's backs. They made a great team.

Petra could see that Peter and the others were nowhere near the entry point. She cursed under her breath.

Then,

it happened.

They came,

just like she said they would.

Nova Corp.

From beneath, they rose, souring through the skies, sending the Kree tumbling one after the other. _"Yeah!"_ yelled Rocket excitedly, Petra laughing in relief.

Alas, Peter was in. Now all everyone else had to do,

was stall,

till the Accuser

...was dead.

Eventually, Nova were ordered to keep the enemy as far as possible, and they did so by interlocking and forming a blockage. Petra and Rocket, who were fighting from below, stopped, as many did, if only for a second, to watch in amazement as the Corps formed a golden, protective shield using their ships. Many gasped as the Aster collided with said shield, and was held back firmly.

That was when Ronan had ordered his Necrocrafts to the city. _"They're dive-bombing the city! Denarian Saal, should we break formation?"_ A Corp pilot asked through the coms.  
 _"No! Hold your positions!"_ ordered Nova Prime.

The Ravagers heard the commotion, and Petra didn't hesitate in doing the job for them. "The Kree are attacking civilians. We have to stop them!" she tells the Ravagers.  
 _"Red! Wait!"_ Rocket tried, worried she'd get herself killed, but it was too late, she'd gone in. He growled irritably and followed as many Ravagers did.

He then clicks the coms. _"Keep Ronan up there, Saal. We'll take care of the people down here,"_ he told the Denarian, firing a dozen targets at once.

The Ravagers did what they could to keep the enemies at bay, but it just wasn't enough! "There's too many of them!" she yells through.

The raccoon clinches his jaw, sharing the same amount of worry. He groans tiredly, brainstorming. An idea eventually clicks as he looks around frantically. He then flies over and above a spacious fountain. _"Everybody shoot them before they hit the ground!"_ he tells. The Ravagers and Petra follow.

They root themselves in spot. Petra pulls up, her ship now facing upwards, as the others were. She grins, knowing the Kree wouldn't know what hit em. The Ravagers shoot in sync, and the Necrocrafts fall in harmony.

Things were looking up, or so they thought.

Nova wasn't having such a pleasant time resisting the Aster itself. Their defenses were breaking

...and it would cost them everything.

Ronan had had enough. It was finally time for him to test the power he now wielded against his enemies.

 _"Rocket!"_ Saal tries to warn, they were failing.  
"Oh, my god!" Petra utters in horror.  
 _"Hold on, Saal! Just-"_

But it was too late.

One by one, he blew them to ashes.

One by one,

the pilots fell.

Hundreds of Nova soldiers,

gone.

Only to be remembered,

as heroes of war.

Petra placed a hand over her mouth, gasping, tears breaming her eyes as she watched, as everyone watched them fall.

But Rocket? He was mortified...and wrathful.

In his mind, those men were **killed** , by the hands of one, selfish man, just one.

He feels his heart sink, yet his mind still at work. He clicks the coms one last time. _"Quill,"_ he starts, voice sore, _"you gotta hurry. The city's been evacuated, but we're getting our asses kicked down here!"_ he tells, snapping Petra back to reality. She re-gripped the controls, a fire burning in her heart as she shot down all that was before her, yelling furiously.  
 _"Gamora hasn't opened the door!"_ Peter replies drastically, shocking both Rocket and Petra.

They were losing,

they were definitely losing.

But no. _'That's it!'_ thinks Rocket. Without saying a word, Rocket pulls up his ship, zooming off into the sky. Petra knows what he's about to do, but alone?! Has he lost his mind?!

"Rocket!" she calls, but he doesn't listen. She turns to the Ravagers around her, who were holding their ground against the Necrocrafts. "Kraglin!" she calls.  
 _"Yeah!"_ he replies.  
"I'm going after Rocket! Keep shooting!" she tells.  
 _"Aye!"_

Petra rushes after her friend. She fights her way through the now decreasing Kree-crafts. Rocket is ahead of her, blinded by rage and the need to see this goddamn day through! The cost was too great if they failed, **too** great.

It didn't take long for his rash decision to get the better of him though. Soon enough, his ship took a lethal hit, rendering him helplessly falling. He held up as much as he could, heart almost beating out of his chest, knowing, he wasn't going to make it. "DAMN IT!" he yells furiously.

Then...

"ROCKET! I'm under you! JUMP!" the red-head calls. He looks and sees her ship beneath, to his side, upper hatch open, barely holding up at the altitude he was falling with.

His sane mind resisted the demand, but there was no time! He had to do it.

Rocket climbed to the top of his ship, claws clenched on its surface so as not to fall, wind blinding his eyes. He looked down, going crazy with fear,

but with enough adrenaline pumping through his veins

...he jumped.

And she caught him.

The raccoon fell directly into the hatch, hitting the ship face first, groaning in pain. Not a second had passed before he heard the Quill-girl shout. "Are you CRAZY?! What were you thinking?!"

Rocket turned his gaze to her, eyes going wide. "LOOK OUT!" he screams, she does too. She looks at just the right time to evade the shot. Rocket struggled to get beside her, buckling up.

Her ship was badly injured too, and was barely holding together, their only option was to head directly into the Aster's windscreen, where they witnessed as the Accuser attempted to strangle Drax! their friend! "HOLD ON!" Petra shouts. They scream in unison just as they'd made collision.

And BOOM!

A moment passed.

Another.

Petra squirms in her seat. Rocket groans in pain. He looks to the red-head beside him.

She was alright.

Good.

"God, you suck at flying," he complains.  
"Oh, shut up!" she laughs hoarsely, hurting all over, but nevertheless, glad he was okay.

"Petra!" yells Peter, approaching the now screen-less ship. Groot too. They help them out, Gamora insuring the unconscious Drax was fine.

"You guys alright?" the Quill asks, hand on his sister's shoulder, looking her over worriedly. Petra and Rocket share a knowing look. He eyes her gratefully for saving him back there. She smiles back at her sibling.  
"Yeah," she assures.

Then, a crashing debris grasps their attention to an undeniable fact,

the ship was going to crash

...None of them would make it.

So, this is how it ends.

...

...

...No

...No.

This is **not** the end.

Not today.

He stood tall.

He stood strong.

He made the decision

...He would **not** let his friends die.

Caught up in their own thoughts, the group soon take notice of what was growing to surround, to keep them safe, and protected.

Groot.

He quickly and hastily extended every part of himself, fabricating a shielded orb, with them inside.

Rocket eyes around, his mind running at lightning speed, all thoughts headed to the same conclusion. He stormed towards his tree-friend's face. "No, Groot! You can't! You'll **die**! Why are you doing this?! Why?!" he told frantically.

The team felt their hearts sink with the ship.

He was sacrificing himself

for them.

With a stray vine, Groot wiped a tear from his furry friend's eye. He makes eye contact with each and every one of them,

uttering a single statement,

that broke their hearts.

"We. Are. Groot..."

...

It happened fast, too fast. Petra opened her eyes to grey skies. If she thought it was painful before, then this was being buried alive!

With her remaining strength, she shifted her weight onto one side, gasping and hissing. Her eyes landed on Rocket, who had his back to her, some twigs from Groot's remains in his hands as he sopped.

Her heart aches.

She sat up. "Rocket," she tried, but her voice came out like that of a strangled cat.

Her attention was soon diverted, as everyone else's was, to the one and only

...the Accuser.

Well and alive.

Rocket turns to him in shock, which snaps to pure and **utter** rage in a manner of seconds.

"YOU. KILLED. GROOOOT!" he screamed, charging at him.  
"ROCKET! NO!" Petra shouted after him, jumping to her feet.

Ronan used his infinity stone-powered-Warhammer on the petit creature, shoving him aside with an invisible force. Rocket was sent flying in the air and directly into Petra.

The two were pushed down with an immense force, groaning in pain.

This was enough to get Peter's focus up to a hundred percent. He eyed his sister warily. She was alright, but for how long?

Then, Petra's eyes caught sight of their last remaining chance, the Hadron Enforcer.

"Rocket! Rocket!" she whispers with haste. He was on her, so it wasn't hard for him to hear. "Look!" she tells. The raccoon complies and he sees it.

As the Accuser gave his victory speech, "Behold! You're Guardians of the Galaxy! What fruit have they wrought? Only that my father and his father shall finally know

vengeance!"

Rocket scurried over to the weapon, rewiring and recalibrating. Petra sneaks towards him, attempting to help.

From beside them, Drax takes notice of what they're doing. Gamora and Peter as well, all now thinking of ways to keep the Accuser distracted long enough for the two inventors to work.

Time was running out, and Ronan was almost ready.

They weren't.

"...People of Xander, the time has come to rejoice and renounce your paltry gods! Your salvation

...is at hand!"

And just as Ronan was about to wield his hammer to the surface of the plant they stood on, scorching it in flames,

 **he** stood,

and did the most unexpected thing anyone could ever think of.

"Ooh-oo child, things are gonna get easier," he sung.

Petra's jaw drops.

Peter Quill stood his ground, dancing?

Damn right, he was!

The Accuser was dumbfounded.

"What are you doing?" he asked in utter bewilderment.  
"Dance-off, bro! Me and you!" the blonde replies shamelessly.

Peter continues to dance. He makes eye contact with his twin. She shakes her head in reply, they weren't ready yet. Peter takes it further. He asks Gamora to join him. She shakes her head vigorously. Peter's dance becomes more hard core. Ronan shakes his head in disgust. "What. Are. You. Doing?!" he questions again.

Peter looks once more.

They were ready.

"I'm distracting you, you big turd blossom!" he tells, and at that. Drax has taken hold of H.E, and all he had to do, was push a button.

Boom!

It was too late to comprehend what happened next. The shot had hit the hammer, which contained the stone, that was now completely exposed, threatening to destroy **all** that stood before it.

Without thinking, both Peter and Ronan, reach to grab it

...but only one succeeds.

"NOOO!" yells Gamora,

but it's too late.

Peter held the stone in his hand, screaming in excruciating pain, like nothing he'd ever experienced. He could feel his bones breaking, his skin peeling off, a fire burn in his chest,

he was dying.

Yet,

somehow,

he wasn't already.

An energy field surrounded the wielder of the stone, purple of color, pushing back all those around him, but she **wouldn't** , for the life of her, be pushed away! She would **not** lose her brother today.

Before Rocket could stop her, Petra stormed into the field. She could feel a strong resistance against her legs, and whole body.

Then,

she saw him,

she saw how he looked, and she felt like she herself was going to die of fear.

She could barely move, or see, but she'd be damned if she'd let that stop her!

"PETER!" she shouts, thankful her voice was somewhat audible. "PETER! TAKE MY HAND!" she calls, but he wasn't even looking at her! This was the only way she knew she could help him, as the Collector said, sharing the power.

She tried again and again, pushing further through.

Alas he looked, and lend her his hand, believing with all that was in him, that the woman before him, was his beloved mother, on that damned hospital bed, the night he ran, because he was too afraid to see her go, too afraid to take her hand.

Not this time.

And so, the twins share the torment when their fingers collide, but she held on closely, intertwining their fingers firmly.

The Accuser remained amused, knowing they wouldn't last much longer.

Then,

another stood.

Gamora did the same, with less of a struggle, from Peter's other side. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and the power coursed within her as well.

Rocket joined them as well, taking hold of the red-head's hand.

Groot's death will not have been in vain!

And soon afterwards, Drax got hold of Gamora.

There they stood,

the five.

Together.

Stronger than ever.

Ronan eyes them in shock. "You're mortals! How?!" he questions in disbelief. Peter glares daringly.  
"You said it yourself, bitch.

We're the Guardians of the Galaxy."

And at that, Peter uses his stone-wielding hand, drawing power from the five of them. The energy flows from his palm and flies directly **into** Ronan, setting him ablaze, once and for all.

Alas, Gamora uses an orb to contain the stone, setting them all free of the pain, that disappeared too quickly for their brains to keep in memory. Forgetting was bless in that very moment.

It was done.

Ronan was dead.

It was over.

* * *

"I'll be! You freakin' did it!" the five hear. They look to see Yondu, the Ravagers not far behind. He smiles proudly at the Quills, approaching them.

Petra refrained from running over to him and just giving the biggest hug she could muster up. After all, he was leader of the ruthless Ravagers, that was the last thing she ought to do. "I have never been prouder," he whispers so that only they could hear. It warms their hearts.

"We're glad you're okay, Yondu," Petra smiles brightly.  
"Yeah," Peter tells. Yondu smirks.

He would truly miss them.

But it was time to go.

"Well," he calls loudly, a sign that he'd be leaving now. The twins share a knowing look. "Now, deal's a deal, kids. Hand it over," he demands.

Petra and Peter act upset. Peter reaches into his pocket and pulls out an empty orb, handing it to him, the Ravagers clueless-ly satisfied. He gives them one last goodbye-smile, before turning away completely.

They left on good terms. It would not be their last goodbye.

Gamora smiles from beside Peter. The two share a deep, meaningful look, a thousand feeling held behind their eyes for each other.

Drax smiles happily from beside them as well. He had finally gotten what he'd been longing for his whole life.

Peace.

But someone was missing. Petra eyes around for him.

Then,

she sees him,

stood at midst what remained of his life-long friend.

Petra frowns, her heart sinking.

She walks up to him. She could her him crying to himself on the ground. He barely acknowledges her presence as she crouches down beside him.

She tries to pull it together, but she can't. He turns his teary eyes to hers. There was so much hurt behind them, so much that, all the words in the world, wouldn't be enough to make **any** of it better.

Petra does what her gut instincts tells her to do and she pulls him into her arms.

At first, he hesitates, but eventually melts into her hold, sopping into her shoulder, unable, for the life of him! to pull it together.

Peter, Gamora and Drax approach them cautiously, sorrow washing down on them like a wave.

And it was then that **he** noticed.

Suddenly, the Destroyer stumbled towards the ground. Peter and Gamora eye him in confusion, the other two don't notice yet.

Drax picks a twig off the floor. "Rocket! Petra! Look!" he tells. They do as told suspiciously, Rocket with zero interest. Drax holds it up to them, Peter and Gamora nearing them.

The five look

…and they see it.

It was growing,

a single leaf.

And so, there was hope.

"We should plant it," Drax tells.

* * *

And at that, it was over. Nova had helped the five back on their feet, giving them a new ship and, of course, a handsom reward, which the twins wasted no time in transfering sixty percent of it to Yondu so he could satisfy the Ravagers.

An asked, they replanted Groot in a carry-able pot.

They had also informed the twins that the reason they were able to hold onto the stone for so long, was because of a sole fact

…they weren't entirely human.

This, of course, shook them to their cores.

Apparently, it had something to do with the father they'd never met.

They weren't given much more information and decided not to dwell on the topic for too long.

Alas, the group was thanked for their nobility, and were officially given the name they had earned upon defeating the Accuser…Guardians of the Galaxy.

And, though it took a little convincing,

they were more than friends now.

They were one group

…They were a family.


	18. Author's Note

If you think this is the end, then you are very, very wrong, my dearies. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol.1 was just the beginning! An intro on how Petra related to pretty much anything. And an explanation for all things that had none, with a side of Petra & Rocket fluff.

And ****you**** can't deny that you enjoyed it! I know I did!

Behold! You are about to witness the amazement of Vol.2, completely made up by...yours truly!

If you've read The Light In The Dark, then you know you'll like what's to come.

BTW I want to apologies for the wait on The Light In The Dark. I may have lost interest in writing it for the past couple of months, but a promise is a promise!

I ****will**** end it. Happily too. I just need to find the time. And if you could lend me some, that'd be great!

Lol! Kidding!

Sorry. I'll stop now.


	19. 18: Teamwork

"Oh, boy! That's a big one!" exclaims Petra at the mountain-sized, gorilla-looking freak with white fur that she simply decided to call Kong.

Getting into that mountain was **not** going to be easy.

"You scared, Red?" asks Rocket teasingly. She scoffs at him.  
"I'm scared **for** him," she retorts, pointing at the creature that paced in front of the entrance with the giant blaster in her hand. Rocket grins in anticipation.  
"Focus," tells Gamora seriously.  
"This weather is extremely preposterous!" shouts Drax furiously at all the snow, and the fact that they forced him to put on a jacket.  
"I am Groot. (Vengeance!)" yells a one-inch Groot jr from Rocket's front pocket.

No way they would just leave him on the ship, alone, that mischievous little rascal.

Rocket furrows his eyebrows down at him. "No. We don't seek vengeance. We seek units!" he corrects the word Groot most likely picked up from Drax. Petra and the Destroyer grin as well. Gamora rolls her eyes. _'Children,'_ she can't help thinking.  
"I am Groot. (Units!)" he calls instead, raising a fist in the air. Peter smirks.  
"Alright, let's go get em!"

And at that, the six charge towards the fury beast, jet-backs on, fire-blasters in hand, both made by the group's toymakers.

"Annnnd UP!" the blonde calls. They comply, clicking the button that sent them zooming up into the snowy skies.

The beast takes notice of their presence and lets out a thundering roar that vibrates across the ice-coated mountain-valley. "Gamora! Drax! Legs! Petra! Rocket! Head! I got the front!" he smirks. They move out.

"AHGGHHH!" yells Drax excitedly as he sets the beast's legs aflame along with Gamora, who tries to evade as it attempts to stomp the intruders, but can barely see as Rocket and Petra fly about his head, blinding him with fire clouds, though it was scarcely effective.

"COME ON!" Peter shouts, as the gorilla flails his arms about, trying to hit him.

"Guys! These things AREN'T WORKING!" screams Gamora wrathfully.  
"Hang on!" tries Petra, acknowledging that fact as well, cursing under her breath.  
"Red!" Rocket calls as he resumes his poor attempts along with the rest of them.  
"What?!"  
"I spy, with my little eyes," he starts.  
"Are you guys serious right now?!" questions Peter irritably.  
"A weak spot!" the raccoon finishes anyways, blasting all he had at it, making the beast roar in rage, clearly in pain.

Petra flies over to his side. She studies the pinkish scar spread vertically across the beast's fury back. "It's too thick!" she tells.  
"Ya think?" Rocket calls sarcastically. The red-head's mind blinks.  
"Gamora!" she calls.  
"What?!" the Zen-Whoberi replies.  
"We need you up here! with your sword!" she tells  
"I can't! My jet's out of fuel!"  
"I got it!" tells Peter, rushing down.

He lands beside her while, in the background, Drax resumes his attempts at burning off the beast's legs, which was pointless, making him yell in frustration.

Peter puts an arm around Gamora's waist, smirking admirably, forcing the green-skin to blush, no matter how hard she tried not to. He then pulls her up and she holds on tight.

Peter flies up to Rocket and Petra. "Wow!" he calls as the beast turns to them wrathfully.  
"I will distract him!" tells Drax, rising to face the beast eye-to-eye. "We meet at last! HAHAHA!" he laughs, shooting fires at its face as it shouts furiously.

Rocket joins him as Petra, Peter and Gamora deal with the final takedown. Gamora jumps off of Peter, sword, the Godslayer, held with both hands. She glides through the sky for a small distance. Gamora drove the blade into the beast's back, grazing down to its very end, opening the creature up from behind, blood oozing and everything!

She lands safely on the ground. "Incoming!" warns Petra as the beast begins to stumble and fall backwards, screeching in pain. Peter swoops Gamora off the ground before the gorilla could slam her into it.

He lands with a vibrating thump, and the Guardians soon follow victoriously. "Nice!" Rocket calls, high-fiving Petra.  
"Let us claim our prize!" tells Drax, turning and entering the cave. The others follow in anticipation, heads held high.

It was a mountain like any other. However, the further they went inside, the more they could see of the blue vines that decorated its dark walls. "I am Groot. (Sweet!)" he comments in the voice of a two-year-old, making Rocket chuckle.

At the end of these vines, was a pedestal that held up a pyramid-shaped artifact. Peter begins to approach it. "Peter. Be careful," his twin warns. He keeps that in mind, eyeing around for any source of danger, and he hoped that Kong was the end of it.

Peter snatched the object off the holder quickly. They freeze, all expecting a quake or some flying arrows or something! but, fortunately, nothing happened. Peter lets out a sigh of relief. "Okay. Good. Now, let's get the hell outta here!"

It had been five months since the events that had occurred on Xander, five months since Nova Corp, and five months since Ronan.

Groot had finally grown out of the pot, but, when he began to speak, it was fairly clear to all,

that the old Groot,

was gone.

This, of course, affected Rocket most. It sent him into a state of deep depression for a whole month, but, with the help of his friends, especially Petra, and the fact that baby Groot was so darn adorable, and was a live and loving reminder of his old friend, he pulled through.

And so, the Guardians had never been closer as a group. On their new and improved Milano, the six friends went on wild adventures, exploring the world around them, from which they'd earned themselves a nice collection of cool-looking artifacts that didn't do much. And they would have been more, had they not sold most of them for small coin or, if they were lucky enough, which rarely happened, **big** coin.

Which was why they would go on jobs for proper pay. Many would hire them to deal with certain, beastly problems, or find something somewhere far and dangerous, stuff that was risky, entertaining, with units involved!

And so, their name was growing. Their bank account? Not so much, which was why this job was kind of a big deal, and they were glad they got through with it somewhat gracefully.

…

…But nothing's ever that easy...

* * *

"Ugh! This is taking forever! And my back is killing me! Who said it was cool to make chairs concave?!" complains Petra.

Her, Rocket, and Groot, who was sleeping in Rocket's pocket, were seated on a somewhat secluded booth in the inn. Drax and Peter were talking near a wall, and Gamora was by the bar.

The six were on a planet named Dormain, where they were to wait for the buyer in a somewhat crowded inn, neon lights decorating most of its walls. Afterwards, they were to meet up with Yondu, who was nearby, on a Ravager mission along with a few of his men.

Him and the Guardians had kept in touch privately, talking about every now and then. They'd met at least twice in the past months. The twins were glad them leaving didn't turn out so badly.

Rocket smirks at the red-head. "I can make it feel better," he teases. Petra snaps to him in shock, face going hot-red. Rocket then begins to snicker. She punches him in the arm.  
"Stop doing that!" she breathes.

He'd been doing it a lot lately,

the flirting.

Petra told herself he was just teasing her, and she couldn't understand why it got to her so badly, enough to make her blush,

every

damn

time!

The truth was, Rocket had no idea what he was doing. He knew he liked the look on her face when he'd catch her off guard,

but

he also knew that a part of him felt

something more.

Her bright personality, her building-passion, her mind…her smile. She was driving him crazy! and he couldn't, for the life of him, find a proper way to hide it, or make whatever he was feeling just go away.

She was human, for god's sake! What did he think was gonna happen?!

But, honestly? A huge part of him didn't care about any of that. The part that knew this was wrong, but did it anyways.

"Why? Do I make you nervous?" he asks slyly.  
"Rocket!" she warns. He laughs.  
"Alright! Alright," he tells.

Their laughter fades to soft smiles,

eyeing each other in a way neither quite understood.

Rocket decides to break before he lost it. "I'm gonna go get more drinks," he tells, sliding off. She nods, falling back into the seat, inhaling tensely, all thoughts running around her mind revolved around Rocket.

It was getting harder for her every day to ignore the fact that she felt something too. She kept telling herself nothing was ever going to happen, that they were too different,

but when they talk,

that fact is always pushed away by the knowledge that, aside from their appearance, they were almost exactly the same. She'd never felt so connected to any one, and it was driving her mad too.

And the thing was, the other four were beginning to notice. Groot encouraged it, extremely! Gamora and Drax found it weird, and honestly didn't expect anything to happen. Peter, however, well let's just say he didn't like it, **any** of it, not even a little bit.

"Hia, greeny," Rocket greets Gamora. She smiles at him, not minding the pet name. At least he didn't use things like dollface, or princess, or buttercup, like he did with Petra. He jumps onto the bar stool beside her, and orders. "Two Towerdrops." The bartender complies.

From beside him, Gamora exhales rather loudly, wearing a stiff expression. Rocket furrows his eyebrows at her. "Why so tense?" he asks curiously, resting an elbow on the counter. Gamora shakes her head disappointedly.  
"I've got a bad feeling about this one," she explains. Rocket thinks about it, noting that the buyer should have been here fifteen minutes ago. Where the heck was he?

Just then, the doors to the inn slam open. Five men of different races walk in, dressed in all black, blast-guns in hands. The middle one, Rod, the one that looked like a Terran, with jet-black hair and eyes, tanned skin, he wore a smug smirk on his face, weapon held over his shoulder threateningly. The people inside are wary, each inching towards the nearest weapon.

Rod then speaks up. "Guardians!" he begins, grinning. The six begin to stand, Groot peaking from Rocket's pocket, "You've taken something of ours," he tells. They share a confused look.

"And we'd like it back."


	20. 19: Men In Black

Before she could comprehend what the heck was happening! Petra found herself crouched underneath the booth's table, hands over her head protectively as the intruding group of five men were shooting all that was in sight.

Most of the people in the bar had left, and eventually, it was down to the six of them, and the bartender behind the counter. Peter and Drax were behind a table they'd turned over, and Rocket and Gamora were with the bartender. The five men took cover on the opposite side of the inn.

Petra fires up her gauntlets, and attempts a shot at the one in the opposite booth, and it nearly hit him, but he'd managed to evade. She was only trying to distract him long enough to get to the others anyways. The man looked back in frustration, aiming to shoot, but she'd already crawled away fast enough not to get shot along the way.

"Rocket! Stay!" Gamora yells.  
"I left her in the booth!" he retorts furiously, heart beat dangerously increasing. The red-head then comes into view. "Red!" he shouts in relief, Gamora just as content.  
"We're all gonna DIE!" shouts the bartender fearfully.  
"No one's dying!" tells Gamora firmly, ascending to shoot, quickly going down again. Petra does the same.  
"Who the hell are these people?!" she questions angrily.  
"You're asking me?" Gamora questions. Rocket is too distracted, studying the group carefully as his mind thought of a faster way out of this mess!

"GUYS!" calls Peter. Rocket peeks from the side of the counter, where Peter and Drax took cover behind a table nearby. "We need a plan!" he tells, hoping the minds of the organization came up with something.  
"We're working on it!" Rocket tells. More shots fire and hit Peter's table. He and Drax wince.  
"Well, work faster!" he yells.  
"Don't get bossy!" complains Rocket irritably. Peter tries to ignore him as he disappears behind the counter again.  
"Rocket! Their blasters!" Petra tells. He'd already come to the same conclusion. He grins.  
"You read my mind," he tells. She smirks back, resuming her shooting.

Rocket scours his many pockets briskly. "I am Groot. (Here!)" Groot calls, struggling to hand him the heavy, for him, device.  
"Good job, twigs," Rocket praises, taking it from him quickly. Groot smiles back shyly. "Now, get back in there," he tells. Groot complies.

Rocket mentally counts to three, then jumps up the counter and hurdles the device onto the floor near the creeps. It falls behind Rod's table. He eyes it warily, thinking it's some kind of grenade, but it didn't give him time to react, for the second it hit the floor, it pulled all guns, including the Guardians', near its radius and into its magnetic field, holding firmly.

"Rocket!" Peter shouts furiously. The raccoon glares at him.  
"Hey! The shooting stopped, didn't it?!" Rocket yells back.

"It's fine," Rod starts, exiting the cover along with everyone else, "We don't need guns to beat your asses."  
"Big words, coming from the loser and his gang of made-believe ninjas!" retorts Rocket. Rod smirks.  
"I'm sorry, I don't argue with **raccoons** ," he tells, confirming the fact that he was Terran.

Rocket growls furiously, ears pulled back. Petra knew, the a-hole had hit a nerve. "Less talk. More ass-kicking!" she interrupts, jumping over and sliding off the counter, the first to attack. It takes the others less than a second to follow.

Petra tried a punch at Rod. He blocked it with ease. She throws another, but he grabs her arm and throws her off with an immense force. She lands in her sibling's arms, startling him.

"Ahhgg!" shouts Gamora furiously, facing Rod off herself. _'So, he thinks he's good at combat. We'll see,_ ' she can't help thinking. And as thought, the Terran finds her quite difficult.

He knows who she is, of course, but it's not like he was any less of strength. She had no idea who he was, or who he worked for.

A goon charges at the twins. Peter spins his sister, who had her legs up, and she kicked the creep in the face, jumping out of her brother's hold and landing a few good punches. "I got it. Go!" she tells. He complies, helping Drax deal with the two men he was fighting off.

Rocket was on top of **his** adversary, pulling at his hair and punching at his face. Petra's guy had gotten back up. They each held each other's arms in place, the man's weight was putting Petra down.

She glimpses Rocket, and a bulb goes off in her head. She climbs the man before her. "Rocket!" she warns before using her feet to push at the confused man's torso, sending him stumbling backwards till he fell on the other guy, just as Rocket had bounced off him and landed beside Petra, who had fallen back vigorously onto the glass-covered floor, wincing, unsure which part hurt more. Rocket helps her sit up.  
"You good?" he asks in concern. She nods firmly.  
"Yeah."

The men shock the two friends by getting up yet again. Who were these people?!

However, suddenly, the man on the right begins to twitch. "Oww!" he yells. His friend eyes him weirdly. The man then twists and hits at his leg, then his stomach, then his chest.

Petra and Rocket share a look, getting at exactly **what** was happening. "It's inside me! It's. IN. MEEE!"

Rocket looks into his pocket.

Nothing!

"Oh, no!" he utters irritably. Their eyes go wide as Groot appears from the guy's shirt, coming out from near his neck.  
"I. AM. GROOOT!" he screams excitedly.

The man's friend freaks out, and punches his companion a little too quickly, for it hits him in the face and the guy falls to the ground. "Groot! Get the hell over here!" yells Rocket. Groot complies, scurrying across the floor just as Gamora was thrown at the other guy by Rod.

Petra crawls over towards her as Rocket stuffs Groot back in his pocket and follows.

"Boss! We got it!" barks one of the men. Rod grins contently.  
"Alright! Skip out!" he orders. They leave consequently. The one that held Peter by the throat lets him fall, and the one that was battling Drax gives him a quick kick in the knee and runs.

"COME BACK! COWARDS!" the Destroyer shouts, storming to head after them, Peter following close, but they stopped dead in their tracks when a grenade was thrown right under their feet. Everyone's eyes go wide.

"Rocket!" yells Petra in haste. He immediately throws another gadget at the bomb, one that creates a barrier-like electric field that screwed with its mechanics, delaying the explosion for mere seconds.

"Quill! Kick it!" he tells. Peter does as told, kicking as far as a step out the open door, a massive blast immediately emitting that got Rod thinking he'd got them, leaving contently.

* * *

"Peter, pay him," Gamora tells. Peter rolls his eyes irritably. She was trying to get him to pay the bartender for all the damage, at least five-thousand units, considering, whoever these people were, they were clearly here for **them** , so this mess, was kind of their fault.

As the two argue and Drax studies the intruders' weapons, Rocket sniffs. He can smell blood coming from right beside him, where Petra was stood. He sniffs harder, it was coming from her leg, a nice blood-stain decorating the spot some ways under her knee. "Red, you're bleeding," he tells warily.

Petra furrows her eyebrows at him. He points to her leg. She twists it to look. "Oh, yeah," she breathes. She was generally in pain, **everywhere** , so it wasn't like she could determine from exactly where. Rocket rolls his eyes at her.  
"Sit," he tells.  
"No! but I'm fine," she tries, not wanting to go about **that** now, too caught up in trying to process the previous events, and the fact that they lost the goddamn artifact!  
"Red!" he draws.  
"Fine," she retorts irritably, settling onto the floor.

Rocket rolls up the pant sleeve, revealing a deep cut that was most likely caused by all the glass that the bartender was fussing about. Rocket pulls out a small spray-can and shakes as Groot jumps out and climbs onto Petra's shoulder, watching curiously.

Petra grimaces at the can. "Do you have to?" she whines like a child. Rocket cocks an eyebrow at her.  
" **You** made this thing!" he points.  
"Yeah, but it doesn't mean I have to like it!" she retorts. Rocket shakes his head at her, smirking.  
"I'll be quick. I promise," he smiles. The look he gave her got her to shut up, mostly because of the blush creeping up her cheeks and her aching heart that argued with all her sanity.  
"I am Groot. (It'll be okay.)"

Rocket places a hand on an unwounded part of her leg, making her blood rush as fast as her heart-beat was. He holds her steady and without warning, sprays the substance all over the wound with haste. Petra hisses, biting at her lip, fists clenched. It stung worse than bees do!

"See? Done!" he tells encouragingly. She groans irritably, making him chuckle. "Just let me patch it up so you don't bleed across the floor!" he jokes.  
"Ha. Ha," she calls sarcastically. He grins.

"Their weapons. High-tech. Good quality. I doubt they stole it," Drax informs the two, approaching them.

Gamora, who was watching as Peter did what she asked, eared in. "You think they made it themselves?" Gamora asks.  
"Yeah. I checked," Rocket tells. "They were definitely, personally built. And, if I'm being honest, which, I always am," he tells proudly, a shameless lie. Petra gives him a sheepish (Sure you are) grin. He grins back. "I'd say they looked awfully similar to Nova guns," he finishes. The rest furrow their eyebrows at this.

"What looks like Nova guns?" questions Peter, walking up to them.  
"The weapons of the enemy," tells Drax seriously, crossing his arms. They'd gotten used to his strange and somewhat poetic way with words by now.  
"Yeah, about that! Who the heck were those guys?! And why the fuck were they tryin' ta kill us for that stupid thing?!" he asks, frustrated.  
"Whoever they were, they were well-trained. Their technic was…unusual. Brutal," tells Gamora grimly. Peter washes a hand down his face. He looks to his twin.

"Tri, what'd you think?" he asks, but she doesn't answer, watching intently as Rocket patched up her wound. One of the things she enjoyed most was watching him work, on anything, and the fact that he was working on **her** was all the more distracting.

Peter studies her in confusion, unsure as the others were where she was right now. He alone traced her eyes and noted that they were on their furry friend, the one that had been hitting on his sister a lot lately. He glares in frustrations. "Tri!" he shouts, startling her.

Rocket cocks a suspicious eyebrow, wondering what the red-head was so distracted by. "Right! I…uhhh. Think we should ask Yondu," she blabbers out the first thought that comes to mind nervously. The three across from her furrow their eyebrows at her, Rocket speaking for them.

"Seriously? Red, you're cute, but you're not funny," he tells. Peter exhales in annoyance. Gamora smirks and Drax doesn't care.

"Because I wasn't trying to be!" Petra tells irritably, making him smirk. "I honestly think that, of all people, Yondu might know something. We were gonna go see him anyways, so we might as well ask," she explains.

The others can see she has a point.


	21. 20: Yondu The Wise

Together, the six friends walk the streets of Dormain, looking like they'd just crawled out of the sewers. They make their way to what seemed to be a motel.

They were greeted with looks of **disgust** and fear upon entering the building block. The Guardians ignore them as Peter makes his way to the receptionist. He leans onto the counter with one arm, a smug, slightly tired smirk decorated his dust-smudged features.

The lady eyes him and the five with zero interest, arms resting on the counter, popping a gum.

She's seen worse.

"Hi," he calls. The others wait behind him in spiritless manner. "Would you be so kind as to point us in the direction of a certain Yondu Udonta? He's expecting us," he smiles hopefully.

The lady makes a bubble with her gum, then pops it in his face. Peter winces at the sound, clenching his jaw in annoyance. Gamora glares daggers at the woman and the other four are growing impatient. "Third floor. To the right," she tells dully. Peter gives her a forced smile and turns to leave with the others, peoples' eyes never leaving them.

A stern knock on the door grasps the Zatoan's attention. He jumps up from the desk.

The room wasn't all that spacious, and it didn't have a bed.

This was a business room. Anyone with work like the Ravagers' would rent this room for no more than twenty-four hours. It was equipped with a middle desk, and three, long, leather-black couches at every other wall, plus a mini-fridge with drinks and snacks. A small, filthy bathroom was held behind a closed door in said room.

 _'Finally!'_ the Zatoan thinks. He'd sent most his men off to get the job done, while he, Kraglin and another Ravager, waited at the motel. He was hoping the Quills and their weird friends would show up before he left, and this was most probably them.

"Open it up, boy!" he tells Kraglin. The boy complies. Upon opening the door, the inside Ravagers were welcomed with a disquiet sight. "What…the **hell** happened to you people?!" Yondu asks, eyeing his Quills in both concern and confusion. Look at his Peta! Look at the blood stain on her leg-pant! Look at Peter's **face**!

"Nice to see you too, Yondu," Peter retorts tiredly, however, it was also a secret sign that they'd rather talk in private.

Yondu turns to face his men. "Why don' you two go get some air?" he asks,

more

commands.

They comply.

"Nice seeing you, Petra," Kraglin smiles sheepishly. Petra replies with her own smile and a curt nod as he leaves, shutting the door behind him.

From beside her, Rocket cringes in annoyance. The glimmer in Kraglin's eyes ignited a fire in his chest that he didn't know the cause of. He did **not** like that guy.

The group spread out across the room. Petra heads over to Yondu and gives him a lively embrace, a gesture that warmed his heart,

every time.

Rocket flops onto the couch and lies down in exhaustion. Drax rummages the fridge for Oreos. And Peter and Gamora join Petra by Yondu, to tell him what had happened.

"So what the hell happened?" the Zatoan asks.  
"We were attacked," answers Gamora plainly.  
"By a league of ninja freak-shows!" Peter tells irritably. Yondu raises a confused eyebrow.  
"They took the artifact," Petra explains from beside him.  
"Blew up the whole freakin' bar for it too! And it didn't even **do** anything!" Rocket shouts from the couch. Groot wanders the room curiously.  
"They were well-trained. Seemed…

Dangerous,"

Drax finishes, chucking a cookie into his mouth, the crunching could be heard quite clearly, even though his mouth was closed. Yondu noted he got that from his fridge. Rude.

The Zatoan then refocused his attention to processing all the information he'd been given. A deduction clicked in his head. "Were they all…dressed in black? Looked all, dark and mysterious?" he asks.  
"Yeah," Peter tells as if he should have known, "What did you think ninjas looked like?" he asked back, neglecting the fact that the Zatoan had no knowledge of **what** ninjas were. Petra rolls her eyes at him.

"And you say they were well-trained. Fought fast, and hard," he notes. The three across from him nod as Drax makes his way to sit and attempts to finish the box.

"Do you know something?" Gamora questions hopefully. The Zatoan nods carefully.  
"They call themselves,

Shadow Clan,"

he starts. Rocket sits up to listen. Groot climbs Yondu's desk and seats himself down. Drax is earing in. "I've had my men on them for a couple of months now. No one knows who they are, nor where they came from, but when they're spotted, they be wherever one of em ancient crap thingies are."

The Guardians process his words carefully. "So what, they're like, obsessive, crazy-ass collectors or something?!" Rocket asks in annoyance and confusion.  
"Not a clue, son. All I know, is that they've got a whole lot of expensive toys, that's why I been trackin' em. Been trying ta find out where they stand, how many of em are there. Cause, if we can get our hands on what they've got. The Ravagers would be the richest there ever was. Assuming they don't sell any of it," he continues.

The Guardians like the idea, but they weren't ones for tracking **anyone** down for months. They liked fast-money.

"Okay. Yeah. That all sounds great. But these assholes **stole** from us! And we'd like what they took back. So, if you have any idea where they might be headed to, that'd be great," Peter tells.

Yondu thinks it over. If there was anyone he could rely on to get him information, it was the Quills. "Alright. But you gotta promise to tell me everythin' an' anythin' you find out about em," he says. Petra nods without a hint of concern.  
"Okay. Sure," she smiles. The Zatoan smiles back, memories of them working together, well, working **for** him, flashing back.

"I am Groot. (I have to go to the boy's room!)" says Groot, running over to Rocket, who sighs irritably, knowing that, in public places, he had to practically help baby Groot do so, else he'd fall **into** the toilet, like he did before.  
"Where's the bathroom?" he asks Yondu. The Zatoan smirks at this, pointing at the door with his thumb.

He, and the Guardians, adored the father-son relationship that Groot and Rocket shared, and, though he wouldn't admit it, Rocket cherished it with all his heart.

He gets up, opens the door. "Alright, get in," he beckons Groot, who complies with a sheepish smile. Rocket enters with him and closes the door.

The group turn back to Yondu. "So, where are they?" Peter asks.  
"…They're headed towards a planet, called Reveserume," he tells. The group furrow their eyebrows at this, all but Drax, who stands, discarding the cookie box on the couch.  
"That is a place of aberrations…and savages," he grimaces.  
"Why?" Peter asks weirdly.  
"My boy, it ain't like anywhere you ever been," Yondu tells.

* * *

After about an hour of rest, and catching up with Yondu, the six friends were now on the Milano, headed towards Reveserume, which was a **day** away, where they were told they would find the Clan.

Yondu had told them about the place. How it was weird and dangerous, and that there was, in fact, some kind of temple, with something supposedly powerful that the Clan sought after.

And so, the plan was to land nearest to said temple, await the Clan inside, and ambush them, this time, with more firepower.


	22. 21: Night Terrors

"Well, this is gonna be a long ride," tells Peter, nearing Gamora and Drax, who were seated at the kitchen table/their meeting place. "Where're the others?" he asks. Gamora, who was sharpening her sword, legs on the table, while Drax attempted to finish another bag of chips, answered.  
"Rocket and Petra are downstairs. Groot is most likely with them," she tells. Peter sits, then furrows his eyebrows at this.  
"Is it just me, or do those two spent way too much time together?" he asks suspiciously.

Gamora hoped he wouldn't have noticed that, and Drax only partially gets it.

"So?" he retorts, tossing another chip into his mouth. He had an incredible metabolism.  
"I'm just sayin'. Don't you think it's weird?"

Gamora begins to shake her head. They might as well get it over with and discuss this while the other three were away. She removes her feet, puts the sword down, leans forwards and rests both arms on the table. "Peter," she calls. He looks. "I think, you and I both know. The real reason this bothers you so much, is because you're afraid that something might happen…between them."

Peter feels a clench of irritancy in his heart at those words. To even consider them.

Drax nods in understanding. "Yes. That they might become lovers," he comments. Peter cringes in disgust.  
"What?! Dude! Don't say that!"  
"What? Did I speak inappropriately?" Drax asks in confusion. Gamora rolls her eyes at his idiocy, and Peter's drama.  
"Yes! You spoke inappropriately!" Peter sighs tiredly, looks around nervously, then leans in on the table and whispers, "Rocket's a goddamn raccoon! Nothing **can** ever happen between them! I just hope **they** know it!" he tells, falling back into the chair in frustration.

Drax begins to think about this. They may have been physically different, but he always saw the two as one, even if Petra was a little nicer. They were both exactly the same in his mind. He did not agree with Peter.

Gamora, however, understood that there were limits to such a point. Like Peter, she too thought that they were too, **too** physically different. "Look. Neither Petra, nor Rocket are stupid. I'm sure they understand. Now, will you please stop thinking about it?" she requests tiredly. Peter sighs again.  
"Come on, Gamora! You see the way he looks at her. And you see the way she looks back! How am I supposed to just ignore it?!"  
"Look, if it bothers you that much, maybe you should discuss this with your sister," she tries. Peter thinks. He doesn't like that idea.  
"I don't know."

He was never one to play the big brother role. Never even had to tell his sister what was right and what wasn't. It was always the opposite, and he didn't think Petra would be too excited if he tried this now.

"Gamora is right. You should talk to Petra," Drax pushes. Peter thinks for another tense moment.

Better safe than sorry.

"Fine," he gives in. "But **after** the mission. Now," he gets up. "if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna go wash up," he tells.

This was Peter's way of stalling something he didn't want to do. First he pushes it till after the mission, then he runs off to one of the two bathrooms, so neither of the others would try to push him.

* * *

In the lower deck room, the three: Petra, Rocket, and Groot, are seated on the ground, fiddling with half a dozen electric blasters.

On the new Milano, each of the Guardians had their own room, plus a spare room that would most likely turn into Groot's in about a year. According to Rocket, it won't take Groot that long to grow into a cranky teenager, but, like all trees, he would live a long life as a silly child-man, just like his dad. But until then, he shared a small bed with Rocket in his room.

Groot sat beside them, munching on a packet of M&Ms as big as himself, wondering what it would be like to fly, while the two inventors worked to make the blasters fully functional and ready to face the Shadow Clan, and this time win.

Petra noted one thing that was unusual in her ever-entertaining routine when building things with Rocket,

he wasn't **humming**.

Something was definitely wrong. And the minute he started talking proved her right.

"So, what's the deal with that Kragpin guy?" he asks out of the blue. Petra smirks. Groot ears in curiously.  
"Kraglin," she corrects. Rocket cringes.  
"Whatever," he starts, "So, what's his deal?" he repeats.  
"Nothing, Rocket," she tells, putting the screw down, smirking at him. He hopes she doesn't notice the reasoning behind his question, but her expression was troubling, as if the odd question didn't faze her, like she was expecting it. "We're just friends."

The raccoon scoffs at this. "I don't think **he** knows that!" he tells. Petra furrows her eyebrows.

Groot smiles at his male friend. Even for a child, he could see something somewhat romantic between the two of them, especially when Rocket would talk about her **to** Groot, which, Groot was smart enough to see, differed from the way he spoke about the others. Groot found this exciting and wanted to see a happily ever after ending to it.

Petra herself knew, Rocket wasn't wrong. Kraglin had been acting very weirdly the past couple of times they'd met. He wasn't like that when she was part of the Ravagers though, or maybe she was too caught up in her own misery to notice.

"Well, then, that's his problem, isn't it?" she states, making Rocket smirk contently,

but something still bothers him.

"Okay then. I got another question," he starts.  
"Shoot," she pushes curiously.  
"Why not?"  
"What?"  
"If he does like you, why not…you know, hit it off?" he asks, cringing in disgust at his own words, but he honestly wanted to know.

It couldn't possibly be because she had feelings for him.

But it was.

However, she couldn't just tell him that, especially when both of them were trying so hard to bury those feelings in fear. "Because…I'm…not interested in dating anyone," she tries. He raises a suspicious eyebrow.  
"Seriously?"  
"…Yeah," she tells, getting back to work.

Sitting this closely to her, Rocket, like several other times, could very clearly hear her loudly-beating heart. His eyes go wide in realization. It really was because of him, something he suspected many times, but never believed. He still doesn't fully.

Rocket feels a number of emotions start to choke him up: relief, content, but he also felt, guilt and self-pity. He could never have her, he knew that. And he felt like he was holding her back, but he couldn't, for the life of him, find it in him to tell her otherwise. He wanted her, more than anything he'd ever wanted, and it was driving him mad…But he said nothing.

* * *

It was the middle of the night. Eight hours away from Reveserume. Petra felt her face being slapped at by something small and fast. On her bed, her eyes flutter open in distress to an even more distressed baby Groot, standing on her, directly near her face. "I am Groot. I am Groot!" he repeated in haste, jumping slightly and pointing outside.

Petra's mind snaps in worry, somewhat aware now. "Groot," she utters tiredly. She cups him up in her palm and straightens up on the bed. "What? What is it?" she asked, eyes squinting with exhaustion.  
"I am Groot," he tells again, eyeing the wall beside her and pointing. He didn't look afraid though, just concerned. And now, Petra was too.

There was a room beside Petra's that belonged to Rocket, and two across her, one for Gamora and one for Peter. Drax's was further inside the ship, in a small corridor, with the spare room across from him. He preferred the quiet.

The two inventors wanted rooms beside one another for experimentation purposes. None of the walls or doors were that thick, so

when she listened closely,

she could hear it.

The screaming.

Petra jerks out of bed and rushes out of the room, in her tank-top and knee-length sweats, hair loose. Groot makes his way to Rocket's. The closer she came, the more yelling she could hear, and the more she felt fear slither into her chest.

She rushes forward and opens the door to a shirtless Rocket thrashing and flailing about his bed, as if battling an invisible entity. Petra notes what's going on.

She, of course, assumed that, with the past he was awfully vague about, he fought nightmares from time to time, but she'd never actually seen it firsthand. Now, however?

Petra's mind hastily processes the situation, searching for the appropriate steps to take. First, she closes the door.

However, someone had already woken up.

Groot is inside with her, worried as hell, completely oblivious on what to do.

Sure, Groot saw him a few times, and would wake him up, then Rocket would make him promise not to say anything, and all was as well as sanely could be. But this time, it was more brutal. All he knew to do, was get the one person Rocket trusted most.

Petra then hurries over to the bed and starts calling his name. "Rocket!" He's pulling at the blanket, kicking at the air.  
"No! No more!" he screams.

Petra feels her heart sink. Battling incredible pain from the terrors of his past, Petra cannot stand to see him like this. There was nothing she could've done to stop it then,

but she could save him now.

Petra climbs onto the bed, and evades a clawed hand sent flying at her face defensively. "No!" he shouts. She takes hold of both his arms desperately in order to keep him from harming himself.

From outside the room, Gamora neared his door hesitantly, keeping cover in case of an intrusion. Then, she heard the red-head speak words that put her stress at ease.

"Rocket! Wake up! It's just a dream!" she says over and over again, until his eyes snap open, a wild look within them…one of pure horror.

His breathing was heavy. "No!" he continued to scream, trying to set his arms free.  
"Rocket! It's me! It's Petra! Please! It's Petra," she tells again, unable to hold back tears of pity and worry for him.

Slowly, he comes to.

She let's go of his hand and he shoots upward, heart beating at a dangerous rate. Petra takes hold of his shoulders and places her head on his. "It's over. It's over," she whispers softly.

At this, Gamora, who had had her ear to the door to confirm that nothing dangerous went on, she closed her eyes and inhaled a tired breath, knowing just as well, how hard this must have been for her furry friend.

But he had Petra. It brought a smile to her face, at the wonder of how only she was ever so able to calm his nerves whenever he was worked up, it was only right for **her** to be the one with him tonight.

Gamora started doubting her beliefs. Those two were meant for each other. The Zen-Whoberi then retired to her room.

In the room, his breathing begins to steady, and excitement washes away, replaced with a heavy weight of fear and hatred and desperation behind his teary eyes.

Petra pulls him into her arms, feeling the bolts and scalps that had been drilled into him mercilessly. She squeezes her eyes shut and tries not to imagine how those got there, and whether he was awake when they did. Instead she focuses on calming him down, and tells him it would be okay, and that it was over.

He is unable to fully comprehend what was going on, but

he let her hold him,

he let her sooth him…

he let her be there for him.

Rocket tries not to, but is unable to hold back all that pain, all those fears that never left. He cries heartedly into her shoulder, and she lets him, even though it was killing her, seeing him like this. She prayed, with all her heart, that she had the power, to help him.

Groot climbs onto the bed, then onto Rocket's shoulder, and hugs at his neck, the only part he could reach. The little guy tries to be strong for his friend, but he can't and ends up crying silently into Rocket's fur.

Several minutes pass and the three have somewhat calmed down. Rocket pulls back. He didn't want any of this to happen. He didn't want her, nor Groot, to see him like this…

but he'd never been more grateful.

Once, there was only one person that would help him get through nights like these, but he was gone now, well, not entirely gone. He left a part of him behind. Groot.

Baby Groot climbs off of him and onto the bed to give him space. Rocket turns to him. "It's okay Groot. You can go to bed now," he tells softly.  
"I am Groot. (I want to stay with you.)"  
"No, Groot. I'm fine now. Go on then," he insists. Petra can't help but smile as Groot complies reluctantly and reaches the other side of the room, where a small casket was built just for him.

Rocket then turns to Petra. He could tell, she was crying too, and he wasn't sure whether that upset him, or made him elated. Nevertheless, she didn't need to see any more of this. He never wanted to fall apart in front of her of all people.

"You too, Red. I'm…uhh…sorry I woke you up," he tells shamefully. Petra shakes her head firmly.  
"No. I'm glad you did," she assured. It may have been hard for her to see, but she stopped it, and she saved him from one more night of torture. That meant something to both of them, him more than her. "You sure you're gonna be able to sleep?" she asks in concern.  
"Well, I'll definitely try," he tells doubtfully, scratching the back of his neck. He knew he wasn't though. His mind would always fall back into the past after nights like these, and this one was no excuse.

Petra thinks about this, and deduces just that. He wasn't going to sleep, and they had a serious mission the next day, a dangerous one. She would not risk him being unfocused enough to get shot. No way.

Petra shakes her head. "No," she utters. He furrows his eyebrows at her. Petra shifts till she was in a sit-up position near the pillow, got under the blanket and placed her head on the long pillow. Rocket widens his eyes at her.  
"Red, what the hell are you doing?" he questions in bewilderment.

From the casket, Groot watches curiously, wincing at the sight of those bolts, but ignores them and watches anyways.

"Lie down," she tells.  
"What?!"  
"Look, I'm not risking you getting shot tomorrow because of a dire lack of sleep! So. Lie. Down," she demands, knowing full and well, that her presence near him, was enough to keep him from thinking about anything else.

Groot smiles at this, as if watching a love story unfold.

Rocket stares at her disbelievingly. She stares back seriously.

Definitely serious.

Rocket hesitantly complies, unsure **what** she was doing. But he'd be damned if he refused an opportunity like this.

"Good," she smiles contently. He turns to face her on the bed. Her face is already turned to his. "Now, close your eyes," she tells. He doesn't. The minute he heard her, the minute he forgot what she'd said. All he could see was her glowing face, and her pure, green eyes…and that damned smile, the one that made his heart skip eight beats at once.

"Do it," she repeats. Rocket gives out a pretend-annoyed sigh so as not to seem too weird. He does as told.  
"Happy?" he asks, cocking an eyebrow with his eyes still closed.

Petra's smile brightens, just then realizing that she was in bed, with Rocket, and it made her feel tingly. At least she had a good excuse to be there. "Yeah," she last says before closing her own eyes.

Rocket opens his again to get one last look at her, feeling like the luckiest man alive. He established though, that if he kept admiring her every feature, he was never going to get any rest. So he rolled onto his back, making her look, then go back to sleep, or what she hoped would be when she stopped thinking about him.

Groot fell back into his bed, and imagined what it would be like if he started calling them mommy and daddy excitedly, certain that it was only a matter of time. He quickly fell fast asleep.

Rocket exhaled heavily, wander in his eyes. He listened to her wild heartbeats contently till they evened,

and he faded with them.


	23. 22: Family Bonding

The next morning, Gamora gets up early, and immediately heads towards Petra's room. Something told her she wouldn't be in it, and she was right.

Gamora opens the door, without bothering to knock, and, just as expected, she wasn't there. Gamora sighs tiredly, closing the door. With what was said from Peter the night before, the last thing he needed to see was Rocket sleeping with his sister.

The Zen-Whoberi makes her way to Rocket's room, about to barge in, but decided it would suffice to wake them and pretend she knew nothing. It would save them a long, so-not-the-time conversation. They needed to keep all focus on the mission.

Gamora bangs the door with her fist twice, somewhat quietly so as not to wake Peter up.

Inside the room, Petra and Rocket jerk up from the largish bed. "Get your ass up!" they hear. Quickly, Rocket answers so she would leave.  
"Alright! Alright!" he tells.  
"I am Groot. (Ohh, QUIET!)" Groot whines from his casket.

The little guy crawls out of his bed and makes his way to the other two. He climbs up their mattress furiously. They eye him curiously as he stomps his way adorably to an empty spot between them, gets under the blanket, flops down and shuts his eyes stubbornly, a smile crawling up his face for being between his two favorite people.

Petra and Rocket share a look. They smirk. "Good night to you too, Groot," the red-head tells as Rocket wipes at his sleepy eyes. He couldn't believe how well-rested he felt right now.

Rocket was the cranky type in the morning, much like Groot. He always felt like he never, ever got enough sleep. He wasn't sure why it always took him so long to fall asleep, or why, no matter how much sleep he got, it never felt enough. He was starting to believe that there was something wrong with him, something those bastards did to him, or maybe it was his constant fear of having another nightmare, but all of that changed last night, when she came in.

Petra then turns her eyes to Rocket. "So, did you get any sleep?" she asks curiously. Rocket turns to her. Groot is fast asleep yet again.  
"Oh, yeah. I haven't slept this well in ages!" he tells, trying not to exaggerate, making her smile widen. The red-head then looks to her hands shyly.  
"Yeah, me neither," she retorts. There was something about being near him that made her feel unusually safe, but she left it at that, which was more than enough for him to feel that pinch in his heart.

A moment passed, each of their hearts heavy with a curious longing for one another, but their sane minds always ended it the same, disappointing way.

It would never happen.

To break the awkwardness, Petra spoke. "I should probably get going before Peter wakes up," she smirks, Rocket grins back. There was nothing he enjoyed more than annoying the blonde idiot, but it was too early in the morning for drama.

"Come on, guys. Wakey! Wakey!" the blonde spoken of calls from outside the room to everyone in general. "Gamora!" they hear a banging on the Zen-Whoberi's door.

The two friends eye each other fearfully, both jumping out of bed like teenagers about to get caught doing something wrong. The commotion wakes Groot up and he eyes his friends warily. Rocket pulls a shirt over his head as Petra talks to Groot.

"I need you to act like you're sleeping, okay?" she asks. Groot nods in slight confusion, but does as told.

Just then, Peter barges into the room, Rocket right in front of him. Upon seeing his sister, he stops.  
"Oh, you're all already up," he notes suspiciously. Rocket acts like he usually does.  
"How many times have I told ya ta knock?!" he asks, crossing his arms. Peter turns to him.  
"Why do I have to?! You're a guy, just like I am! Why do I have to knock?!" he retorts.  
"Boys. Don't you think it's a little early to fight?" Petra calls from in front of Rocket's bed, bending over and interacting with a Groot Peter couldn't see.  
"What are you doing?" he asks.  
"Waking Groot up," she replies as casually as possible. Groot remains silently amused. Rocket smirks, loving how quickly she got out of that one.  
"Well, what's he doing in your bed?" he turns to Rocket, which in turn, shares a quick, worried glance with the red-head across the room.  
"He, uhh…had a bad dream," Rocket explains, scratching the back of his neck, slightly embarrassed by the fact that he, and the red-head knew, it wasn't Groot that had the bad dream.

Peter eyes them suspiciously, but his doubts eventually fade upon realizing that Groot was a child, and it was normal for children to have bad dreams, and run to the closest person they found for comfort. In fact, it brought back memories of his own childhood, and he turned to Rocket in appreciation for letting Groot stay the night with him. If only he knew.

"Awe. Look who's turning into a full-time parent," he smirks at his furry friend. Rocket grimaces at this. Even though he loved Groot, being called a parent was pressuring.

But something about it heightened the yearning, and admiration that Petra held for Rocket.

He rolls his eyes at Peter. "Yeah, whatever. Outta my way, blondie!" he walks past Peter annoyingly, headed towards one of the two bathrooms adjacent to each other near Drax's room.

During Peter's distraction, Petra tells Groot it's okay to open his eyes and thanks him for the help, feeling slightly bad for involving him in this. She would have to talk to him about it sometime soon, so he wouldn't get the wrong idea.

She approaches her sibling, who turns to her. She crosses her arms in a somewhat relaxed stance. "So, when, uh, did you get up?" he asks, the suspicion returning.  
"A few minutes ago," she lies, looking as placid as could be as her mind ran fast enough to dodge any questions.  
"And, uh, you woke Rocket up first-"  
"And Groot,"  
"Why?"  
"…What do you mean 'Why?'"  
"…Nothing. Listen. I wanna talk to you abo-"  
"FOOD!" the two were interrupted by a roaring Drax.  
"Drax. Shut up," they hear Gamora tell.

Peter sighs in annoyance, and Petra is relieved. Something told her she wouldn't have liked what he had to say.

"I guess we'll pick this up later. You should start making breakfast before Drax eats **us** instead," he smirks. The red-head smiles in amusement.

* * *

With the amount of time spent with each other, the Milano consisted of a systemic household. Each individual had his own role in this household, and his own personality that was entertaining at times, and annoying at most times.

Every morning, the first to wake up would wake the others. They would each take turns using the two bathrooms on the ship, then Petra would make breakfast, being the only one experienced in the kitchen area, and they would eat, in the kitchen, on the dining/meeting table.

Their gatherings were loud and varied from hilarious, to an uprising argument, just like any other family.

And though such a thing was supposed to be normal, and common, a family, laughing, bickering.

For them,

it meant the world. These were people who either never had a proper family, or lost one too soon, or too horribly.

They needed one another, more than they knew. 

At the moment. Petra was in the kitchen, Groot keeping her company, while Rocket and Peter were on the navigation deck, discussing the plan, and Gamora and Drax each occupied a bathroom.

As everyone on the ship, Petra adored Groot with all her heart. And he adored her just as equally.

Groot saw each of his fellow Guardians in his own way. In his eyes, Petra was the sweetest, she tells him stories, involves him in almost everything she does, such as cooking, building, even let him braid her hair. She was always open for the warmest hug around. He absolutely loved her.

He loved Rocket just as equally, the one that helps him in the bathroom, that lets him sleep with him when he gets bad dreams, that makes him cool toys, calls him brave and strong when he helps on missions, and makes him feel loved, the one person he always tried to make proud.

It was because of the stories that Petra told him that he was so bent on seeing her and Rocket come together for a happy ending that he knew he would be a part of.

As for the rest of the Guardians, well he loved them just as much. Uncle Peter was always up for a good laugh. He'd snuggle him candy, and teach him cool dance moves.

Drax was Groot's play partner. Peter had lent them most of his action figures, and most of the time, the two were off battling the mighty dinosaur with their little army men.

And Gamora was the person he'd go to when he just wanted some peace and quiet. He admired her combat skills and loved watching her train, and loved it even more when she offered to teach him some moves.

It was safe to say that Groot felt like the luckiest kid in the world.

"No, Groot. The salt. It's white. Not black," the red-head repeated in amusement at his adorable mistakes. He gets behind it, and pushes. He'd taken the habit of helping her in the kitchen, even though she didn't need that much help, but he enjoyed it. Besides, he thought all the heavy lifting would grow him cool muscles like Drax's.

Petra lets out a laugh and picks the sprayer up, adding some to the frying eggs on the oven. Yes. Eggs. Were they from a chicken? Not necessarily. There was plenty of weird edible things in the markets.

At some point, Petra had noted that each of this household's members, like any other household, liked certain kinds of food, and cooked in certain ways. For example, Gamora liked olives with her eggs. Peter liked his eggs scrambled, and Drax liked his boiled. Rocket ate potatoes with pretty much anything, and Groot's favorite part of any meal was the desert.

Because she liked the smile on their faces when they got what they wanted, she made an effort to make all of their likes available, that meant both boiled and scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, always have olives around, and she made jelly wobble.

Of course, when it was just her and her brother, they mostly ate junk food, so it wasn't like she knew **how** to make any of this at first, no, she had to buy a cook book. And, every now and then, she made them something new.

Gamora makes her way out of her room and to the kitchen casually, were she knew she would find Petra. The minute she laid eyes on her, the events of the early morning, and the night before, kicked in.

Petra and Gamora were close friends. Being the only girls on board, they naturally were. They were used to sharing each other's clothes in times of necessity, even though they had very different tastes. Unlike the boys, they never started a loud, brutal argument. Rather, they were always the ones to stop it, so they shared a more mature perspective, which was what led them to a deep understanding that got them to discuss things they weren't used to sharing with others.

But, because Gamora was raised as stone, it was hard for her to be as easy-going, or as open as Petra was. Which was why, when conversing, Petra would lure words out of her, and Gamora would usually end up talking, but it was rarely the other way around.

It wasn't like they didn't talk about their pasts, or discuss what they thought about the boys, but it concerned Gamora that, lately, she'd come to realize, Petra wasn't the type to share her fears, or worries.

And, since it was impossible for anyone to have none, Gamora had deduced that she most likely hid them. But the Zen-Whoberi wanted to be there for her, like she was with her, which was why she decided to intervene a little more in the Rocket situation, if only to make her friend feel better. But not today. All focus had to be on that mission.

"Morning," she called.  
"Morning," Petra replies contently, flipping the eggs and checking on the potatoes. "Food's almost done. Could you call the guys for me?"  
"Sure."

Gamora climbs two steps to the navigation deck. "Guys. Get down here!" she shouts.  
"Yeah! Okay!" Peter yells back.

Gamora then runs off and disappears behind the wall to the hall, where the bathrooms were, and bangs at the door of the closed one. "Drax! You've been in there for the past half an hour! Breakfast's getting cold!"

Drax immediately steps out upon hearing the last statement. "I had a stomach ache," he explained.  
"Maybe it was because of all those chips you ate last night!"  
"I only had three bags!"  
"Only?!"  
"Guys!" Petra calls, unable to hold back her laughter, Groot grinning from beside her. The two appear from the hall. "Come on. Help me set the table," she tells. They comply.  
"Petra! Groot is suspiciously trying to stick his hand into that cup with pink liquid!" Drax suddenly calls, pointing a blameful finger at the little guy, that frowns furiously and rushes to punch at Drax's hand, who stands amused at his petty attempts.  
"Groot! No! That's for later!" Petra warns. Groot turns to her, eyes wide open and feigned sadness on his face. "Nice try. I'm not falling for that again. No means no," she smirks.  
"Mph," Groot grumbles irritably as Drax grins and Gamora smiles in amusement.

"Mmm. I smell potatoes!" Rocket calls contently, approaching the four, with Peter descending the ladder behind him.  
"Yeah, well. We've got an hour till we reach the planet's surface. So, eat fast," Peter tells, as annoyed about the rush as the others.

They each take a seat at the eight-chaired table. Peter at one of the tips, Gamora on his side, a chair between her and Drax. Rocket across from them on the middle chair, and Groot on the table between him and Peter. After placing the plate of jelly at the far end of the table, Petra takes a seat next to Rocket.

From beside him, Rocket catches sight of Groot's wondering eyes. "No, Groot. After breakfast, we eat candy. I won't say it again," he tells sternly. Groot huffs irritably and crosses his arms. "Hey! Don't give me attitude!" he warns. Groot remains silent, the others smirking.

"Now, now," Petra calls, "Groot's a good boy. He knows you're just looking out for him, right Groot?" she asks expectantly, glaring somewhat so he'd comply.  
"Mm," Groot lets out reluctantly, making Rocket smirk.

The two always worked together when it came to raising Groot. Rocket would do the yelling, and Petra would take the calm wave, like good cop-bad cop, or, more accurately, like any two parents raising a kid.

Knowing that it worked well with Groot, the others never intervened as much, they'd gotten used to it and ironically never found it weird.

There are three kinds of people when it came to being a parent, the first and best are those born with a maternal instinct. If it wasn't their own child, they made it their job to help the other two kinds of parents. That was Petra's case.

The second kind were those whose maternal instinct triggers when they actually get a kid. They could always use a little help, but fared well on their own. However, they only took to their own child, and never really intervened when it came to someone else's kid. That was Rocket's, and Drax's case.

And the final kind were those who simply didn't fare well with kids, even after getting kids. It took them much longer to adapt.

The first kind is always obvious, it was in their nature, like Petra. The second two kinds were only discovered when the person is put in the situation, until then, they have no knowledge of how they would fare with kids of their own, and that was Gamora and Peter's case.

"Yeah, Groot. Wouldn't want all your teeth falling off. You'd look like a tiny old man," Peter joked, gesturing pinched fingers for emphasis. Groot turns to him, smiling at how silly that sounded, sticking his tongue out at him teasingly. Peter retorts the gesture, making the others smile in amusement.

"So. What do we need to know before we get there?" Gamora asks, getting back to business, as the Destroyer fills up his plate with a small portion of **all** that was on the table. The others only take what they like.

"Oh, a lot!" Rocket replies.  
"Yeah," Peter jumps in. "Apparently, the whole planet's surface is covered in what seems to be some kind of hidden mechanisms. Now, we're not sure if those are some kind of underground tunnel systems, or-"  
"Bobby traps!" Rocket suddenly yells, then starts snickering. "Sorry. I just really wanted to say that!"  
"Every time, man!" Peter complains, as the girls roll their eyes and Drax grins.  
"Real mature, Rocket," Petra calls from beside him.  
"I'm sorry! But it's hilarious!"  
"Anyways," Peter draws to shut him up. "We're gonna land a few feet away from the temple itself. The ground near it is extremely uneven, so we'll have to walk the rest of the way, which means we'll need to be careful."  
"Yeah. There are rumors of creepy, smallish, man-eating, creatures. Without eyes!" Rocket exclaims. The others, except Peter, widen their eyes.  
"How big are they?" Drax inquires.  
"I just told you. Small…ish," he repeats, uncertain.  
"That makes no sense! Are they small? Or big?"  
"They're **smallish**!"  
"It doesn't matter!" Peter yells, "You shoot em, they die! Problem solved! It's just like any other job. K?" He calls. A combination of nods and 'yeah's were replied.

But they had no idea. This one job, would change their lives…forever…


	24. 23: Reveserume

"Wow!" utters Peter, stood behind Petra, who had taken control to land the ship, hovering above the trees in search of the temple's location. The others too watched in shock, fear, and amazement. Yondu wasn't exaggerating. Compared to the size of the trees alone, they were indeed 'the size of nails on a finger' as he put it.

"This is a bad idea," states Gamora, shaking her head worriedly.  
"Hey! Those assholes stole **two-hundred-thousand** units from us! We are **not** leaving without that pyramid thing!" Rocket retorts irritably. It wasn't like he was loving the place any more than she was. As if he needed to be where he was smaller than he already was.  
"Rocket's right. What happened at that bar cannot happen again. These people need to know who they're dealing with," Peter tells.  
"And, we need the money," says Petra.  
"Well said, peaches," Rocket smirks, making her grin. By that time, the group had gotten used to the nickname thing between those two, but it still worried Peter.  
"We will show them pain, and take back what is rightfully ours," agrees Drax.  
"Well, **technically** , that relic belonged to the Chanties," Petra states.  
"They're all dead! They don't need their relics anymore!" Rockets argues. Petra turns to him calmly.  
"I know," she tells, shutting him up in a way the others never could. It was the way she eyed him with such kindness; it made him feel special, cared about.

From beside her, his eyes wander at her lips for a mere second before he pulls away nervously, stomach churning as he tried to push impossible thoughts out of his mind.

And though it was only a mere second, she noticed, and she looked onwards too, a blush creeping up her cheeks that the others didn't notice.

It was becoming harder every passing day.

The temple then comes into sight, as big as a mountain made of greenish-blue, rotting bricks. "Oh my god," Gamora utters amazement.  
"Holy crap," Peter agrees.  
"It is magnificent!" Drax exclaims.  
"Ironically, it's all for display," states Rocket, not that impressed. Looks weren't what did it for him.

Petra joins in. The two of them had gone over this the night before, and Rocket had gone over it with Peter this morning. "We assume it was to scare people off, maybe filled up with soldiers once," she tells.  
"The point is, what we're looking for, is actually under it," Rocket finishes.  
"Exactly."  
"How are we supposed to get to it then?" asks Drax.  
"Well, it's radiating some kind of heat. Our HVs should be able to detect it," Rocket explains.  
"I am Groot. (Are we gonna kick ass too?)" inquires Groot innocently from Rocket's shoulder, making him chuckle.  
"Yes, Groot. We'll be doing some serious ass-kicking," he tells. The others smirk.  
"Alright. Tri, pull us in," Peter tells.

And at that, the red-head readies for landing.

* * *

The Guardians, fully equipped with rocket-boosters, electric-blasters, and HV googles, they heed small steps out of the ship's hatch, taking in the sights laid out all around them.

The trees, they were not wood-made. It seemed their outer coat, was rubber. Its colors varied from red to peachy to pink and purple. The trees were decorated with scarce, feather-like, but sturdy, leafs that were fairly high up.

Shrubbery of different kinds and shapes sat around them, and the grass was an awfully bright yellow. They could hear movements and sounds that were too quick to catch, and too quiet to be any threat.

They felt like ants in a lion's den. Everything was huge.

Everything except them.

"Alright," Peter starts warily, wanting out as fast as possible, honestly getting second thoughts, but he pushed them away in pride. "Let's move," he tells.  
"Yeah," Petra utters, just as fearful and wary as the others.

The six friends walk in the direction they remembered seeing the temple was when they'd landed. It may have been huge, but all these trees, and their sizes compared to them, they could barely see anything further than twenty feet ahead.

They strolled cautiously for a good ten minutes, their pessimistic thoughts the only thing each could hear. The last thing Rocket enjoyed hearing were his own thoughts, so he decided to break the silence.

"So, what happens if these jerks don't show up?" he inquires. The others are thankful.  
"Well," Peter starts, "we take whatever they were headed for. Wait for them to come to us, and trade, or something," he tells. Rocket scoffs.  
"Trade? I'm sorry. Am I the only one that recalls what happened the last time we came face to face with those creeps?" he questions sarcastically.  
"Rocket's right. These people don't negotiate," Gamora tells.  
"It doesn't matter," Petra says. "We have to try. The last thing we need in this business is cruel competition. We have to come to some kind of understanding with them," she explains.  
"Exactly," Peter agrees.  
"And if that doesn't work, can we shoot em instead and take both relics for ourselves?" Rocket questions excitedly.  
"If that doesn't work, we will show no mercy," Drax states.  
"Yeah. What Drax said," Peter points.

"Ugh!" Petra whines, eyeing her foot that had splashed into a puddle filled with some kind of yellow goo. "Great."

"Red. Don't. Move," Rocket warns firmly. Petra freezes, furrowing her eyebrows at them as they stared wide-eyed at her, each reaching for their weapons, increasing her wariness by the second. Then, a huff of air blows at her back that made the hairs on her neck stand. It was cold, but short, like something breathing.

Then,

a growl.

Low, but deep. It echoed fear in her chest. Her breathing quickened. It took everything in her not to run, or look back. She was helpless.

"Okay," Rocket starts, thoughts running at lightning speed, studying his surroundings of Drax, right beside him, the others behind, worrying out of his mind, and his heart seemed as if it would beat out of his chest.

Behind the Quill-girl, was a bush, the size of a two story house, and within that bush, was a creature equally big, his head the only thing visible, eyes as narrow as long slits on the sides of its orange, sickly-smooth face, jaw agape and parting further by the second, teeth as large as daggers,

waiting,

watching,

readying.

"Stay. Calm," Gamora tells her, pulling her sword out. Petra lets out a nervous chuckle.  
"What else am I supposed to do?" she whispers sarcastically. Rocket could see,

she was terrified,

and it was killing him. He had to get her out of there.

"Red," Rocket calls quietly to get her attention. She turns to him, somewhat calming down just by looking at him. "I'm gonna count to three," he tells, taking out the big emergency gun from behind his back, "When I'm done, I want you to run to Drax as fast as you can. Okay?" She nods hesitantly so as not to provoke whatever was behind her. Drax readies himself. The other two eye him hopefully and Groot freaks out in Rocket's front pocket.

"One. Two. THREE!"

As presumed, the sudden movement provoked the enormous creature. It let out an ear-piercing screech as Rocket let out a battle-cry almost as loud, shooting all he had at the creature's thick head.

Petra fell into Drax's worried arms. He fixed her up as Gamora and Peter helped Rocket attempt to take it down.

Peter used his rocket-boosters, or Roosters, more than any of them ever did on any mission. He hovered near the beast, shooting at his head so it's attention wasn't entirely on just Rocket, that stood dangerously near it on the ground.

Gamora charges forward, sword held in on hand, she stopped before one of the beast's front, larger legs and swung the razor sharp blade with all her might, "AAHHHGGG!" resulting in a deep cut that emitted a chunky green substance from the wound. She then stepped back.

The creature let out another deafening screech, then another, then another.

The six stop in wander as all the creature did was screech.

"What the hell is it doing?!" asks Peter as perplexedly as most of them were.

A horrific look of realization crosses Drax's features. "…It's calling more," he utters, widening the others' eyes.

Without warning, the ground shock vigorously beneath them and, before any could react, cracked open a hole-like tunnel the width of a small pond.

Another creature, one that was greenish, and had a tail, shoot out of the hole, screeching just as loudly.

Both creatures charged forward. Their rushing and ground shaking got the Guardians stumbling on their feet.

Immediately, Rocket was pushed into the hole. "Rocket!" Gamora yells, being the only one who'd seen him fall. Petra, who is on the ground next to Drax. She jumps up in fear upon hearing Rocket's name.

Peter gets distracted with concern too, not noticing the second creature's pointier head hit one of his Roosters, sending him tumbling down after his furry friend.

"NO!" Petra exclaims as she witnesses her twin fall as well as her best friend. Gamora's heart almost beat out of her chest.

He and Rocket had no time to think nor act as they slide down the slippery, gooey tunnel at train speed, the dirt surface above their heads crumbling behind them, leaving no way behind.

And alas, they were separated.

* * *

"MOVE!" shouts Gamora, the only one able to hold her nerves despite her fears and concerns that were as high as the others' as she beckoned Drax and Petra to run. There was no way they could fight **two** of those things, that were currently **both** charging towards them.

With no time to react, Petra and Drax comply, storming off as fast as they could into the wilderness that was Reveserume.

Through the trees they ran. They had to lose them. "FAN OUT!" yells Gamora. They comply. Each running a side as Gamora flies up. Both creatures stupidly attempt to follow her, falling back onto the ground hopelessly. Drax sees this as an opportunity to act.

"AGGHHHHH!" the Destroyer shouts as he storms towards the orange, tailless one and climbs up to his back using his two favorite daggers, stabbing his way up as the creature struggled to rip him off.

Petra too charged forward on bodily reflex, though her mind was anywhere but the battle-field. She found herself pulling out half-a-dozen shock-inducing-marbles, or Sharbles. She threw them on the ground near the greenish creature, electrocuting the heck out of it.

Gamora falls back down, driving her sword with an immense force into the neck of the greenish one. The beast let out one final screech before tumbling to the ground.

From behind them, Drax was mashing up the brains of the orange one until, eventually, it succumbed too.

More screeching could be heard from afar. More were coming.

"Come on!" Gamora tells.  
"NO!" Petra refuses. "We have to go back! Peter and Rocket! They're not answering the coms! There's no signal and-" she lets out hastily, worry getting the better of her as tears of fear glittered her eyes.

Gamora could not afford Petra falling apart right now. She was already scared herself, but they had to keep moving. She hurries in front of her and takes hold of both her shoulders firmly as Drax approaches, his concentration on the nearing footsteps of the hasting creatures. "Petra! We have to get to the temple!" Gamora tells.  
"No! But-"  
"Peter and Rocket can handle themselves. We need to leave, or we **will** get killed. Do you understand? Petra. We have to go," she repeats slowly.

Petra's breathing gradually evens. They had to be fine. She needed to believe that. The footsteps grow louder and tune in her ears. She nods to Gamora's words, and the three push to head out again.


	25. 24: Downtown

"Ughh," utters a very in pain Rocket, rubbing at his throbbing head. He feels a slight movement in his front pocket. His eyes go wide. "Groot!" he exclaims fearfully.

Rocket looks into his pocket. Even though it was pitch-black, being what he was, he could see quite clearly. Groot was getting up, groaning irritably. He was fine. Rocket sighs in relief.

His ears perk up at a movement to his side. He looks to see Peter, down on his back, shifting uncomfortably. He'd almost forgotten he was here. Rocket clicks a button on the little flashlight pinned to his vest.

From beside him, Peter, who is still fairly confused, winces at the light, his hand flying up to shield his eyes. "Rocket?" he asks, voice sore, hurting all over.

Rocket rolls his eyes at him. Good. They were all okay,

but they weren't a minute ago,

so, what happened? "Get up, Quill! Up!" he tells hastily, accidently worrying his blonde friend.

Peter jerks up to his feet. Unable to see anything, he blinks his pinned up flashlight on. "What?! What is it?! What happened?!" he questions actively.

Rocket ignores him, studying the area they had fallen from, heart beat increasing by the second, his mind rewiring back to the one person he usually thought of,

the one person that he wasn't with right now.

The picture of her standing with that creature dangerously close behind her. He saw horror in her eyes, it slapped him across the face. And the fact that he wasn't there to protect her, that he wasn't there **right now**.

He quickly lost his nerves with his thoughts. "No. No. No!" he shouts at the closed up tunnel, the one that left no way back up,

to her.

Peter, who was observing the area they'd fallen in warily, cave-like with several, darker, tunnels, he turned to his yelling-at-the-fallen-rocks-friend in concern.

"We **need** to get back up there," he turns to Peter, who is the reminded by their endangered friends and his sister. "Now!" Rocket suddenly yells, making Peter slightly jump.  
"Okay! Okay!" he complies, looking about once more in haste. "Well, we clearly won't be getting back **that** way, sooo, we'll have to go through the tunnels," he tells.

Rocket shakes his head furiously. "It'll take too long! We need to get back up there now!" he shouts. Peter eyes him warily. He picked up on the hint of fear in his friend's voice, and couldn't comprehend what had gotten into him.  
"Hey! Okay! Calm down," he tries.

At those words, Rocket snaps.

"Calm down?! Calm down?! What, did you get hit too hard in the head on your way down?!" Rocket questions in disbelief. Peter is offended and angered. Groot covers his ears at the yelling inside Rocket's pocket. "Your **sister** is out there!" he points at the rubble.

His words strike immediate fear into the Quill's heart, but, for god's sake, he already knew where she was, and **what** she was in, he didn't need to hear this! If he could do anything about it he obviously would! So why was Rocket giving him such a hard time about it?

Then, it hit him

like a brick to the face.

He was worried about her, his sister. His feelings for her was why he was freaking out so much right now, and that bothered Peter, a lot.

Rocket was, however, unaware of the Quill-boy's deduction. Blinded by fear, and rage, Rocket decided to take it a step further by saying something he knew would hit a nerve. " **Gamora** is out there!" he tells. Peter widens his eyes at this, never expecting Rocket to use **that** against him. Rocket doesn't give him a chance to reply though. "With those **things**! Meanwhile, we're stuck down here, in a **cave**! So I'm sorry, if it seems a little hard for me to **calm down** right now!" he shouts.

Peter clenches his jaw in a desperate attempt not to lose it as well. If only Petra was here. This argument would have ended before it even started. But she **wasn't** here, **he** was, and since he wasn't blind to the fact that Rocket only spoke from fear and concern for the others, **specifically** his sister, it took everything in him to take the calm approach.

"Okay," he starts calmly. Rocket turns to him expectantly; certain he would say something even more stupid than (Calm down). "I get what you're saying," Peter tells, surprising Rocket in the process with his agreeing with him, somehow. "I'm worried too, Rocket. She's **my** sister," he points out. Rocket feels like he'd suddenly been exposed. He stays awfully quite. "But, she's not alone. Drax and Gamora are there too. They'll take care of each other. We can't help from here. And there's no way back. Only forward. For them too. The only place we could regroup is at the temple," he explains, a plan forming in his mind.

In the midst of his speech, Rocket's ears perk up to a sound. He couldn't place what it was, nor pinpoint where it was coming from, but one thing was for sure,

it was nearing.

"So," Peter resumes, "we'll use the googles, follow the heat radiation, and-"  
"Shh!" Rocket cuts off to hear more clearly. Was it screeching? Were there some of those creatures down here too?!

Not understanding, Peter eyes Rocket wrathfully. "Did you just **shush** me?!" he questions in disbelief. Here he was, keeping himself from exploding on the little guy, only to be rewarded with a shush!  
"Quill! Shut up!" Rocket whisper-yells harshly, putting up a stern hand. Peter slowly deduces that, with Rocket's pointed ears' movements, he was listening to something, grateful that he wasn't just being a complete douche-bag. He does as told warily.

The voices came closer by the second, no, half-a-second. Definitely screeching, but fairly different from the ones up top. This was something, something large in numbers, and fast.

Rocket's head turned to the tunnel on their left, flashlight directed at the dark. Peter turns too in wander and fear.

Eventually, Peter hears it too. Before either could react, **they** turned the corner, jumping into eye-sight.

They were small, no larger than grapefruits in size, but they looked **deadly**. Their colors were a gruesome-green, but their most significant feature, was their eyes,

and the fact that they had none!

They were on the floors, the walls, a few were even on the ceiling. They were a lot, and they were coming in hot.

Groot, who was observing from Rocket's pocket, disappears back inside fearfully.

"Run," was the only word that was able to fly out of Rocket's frozen mouth.  
"Yeah!" exclaims Peter, slapping the googles onto his eyes, his vision turning blue and funny. He turned around frantically till he spotted a large quantity of orange, aka: heat, down a certain tunnel thankfully opposite the threat. "This way!" he shouts, snapping Rocket out of it.

He too slides the googles down his eyes as his feet carry him off to Peter's fleeting side.

The creatures were hot on their heels, forcing the two to take out their weapons and start shooting, split between the twists and turns down the confusing tunnel-ways, and insuring that the storming creatures stayed at least two feet behind.

"What the hell are those thing?!" Peter asks in irritancy. As if they needed more crap on their plates.  
"How the heck should I know?!" Rocket asks back, a few feet ahead of Peter, shooting down some more, praying to dear god none would cross their maze-like paths.

Behind him, Peter struggles on his feet, trips down and falls, letting out a scream. Rocket scuttles to a stop and turns back irritably, but quickly. Him and Peter got along well enough for Rocket to want to keep him alive, and not just for Petra's sake.

Fear-stricken, Peter turns onto his back and looks behind, sliding his HVs up, eyes going wide at the horrifying sight of the approaching flesh-eaters. He was snapped back to reality as, beside him, Rocket couldn't see a better way of dealing with all of these numbers than something long-ranged and lethal.

He chunks two grenades at the couple hundred beastly creatures. The explosion echoes through the cave's walls and, once again, it begins to collide.

"Get up, Quill!" Rocket shouts in haste. Peter quickly complies, wondering why on earth Rocket insisted on using weapons that risked getting them killed along the way, but thankful he came back for him.

The two run with all their might. Peter mentally curses his lack of exercise.

They run, and scream, and run some more, their HVs on. Eventually, they glimpse light at the far end of the long tunnel they stood at the end of.

Alas, an exit.

The two charge forward, the stones crashing at a threatening distance, almost collapsing onto them.

With no second to waste, the two jump at the last minute out of the darkness, smacking onto the stone-made ground.

* * *

"AGHGAHA!" yells Drax as he, Gamora, and Petra run through Reveserume's forest, followed closely by up to **three** of those giants.

The temple was in sight, but far, and even if they made it, they were still being followed. This would have been a lot easier if the rest of the team was around.

The three reach the temple's enormous, five-stepped staircase, each step as tall as Petra. The three climb with great effort, alas reaching the ever so more enormous doorway.

Drax and Gamora attempt to open one side of it as Petra shoots at the approaching monsters.

However,

suddenly,

all three creatures reach at least twenty feet from the stairs and halt to stop, grasping the attention of the present Guardians.

"Why are they stopping?" asks Gamora, approaching Petra's side, Drax doing the same.  
"Maybe Petra scared them," Drax suggests. Both females roll their eyes at him. Petra then shakes her head as the creatures turn and leave, as if in fear.  
"Let's just get this over with," she says.

* * *

"Ugh," groans Peter, rising from the ground, stretching his aching back. Rocket rises too and checks on Groot.  
"You okay, pal?" he asks. Groot solely nods in his pocket, only experiencing less than a quarter of the pain the boys were feeling. Peter watches to insure Groot was fine as well, and when Rocket nods and looks onwards, he is assured.

Peter eyes around curiously. They were still in a goddamn cave. This time though, there were only four, adjacent tunnel ways across from them.

"Where are we?" he questions warily, the sight somewhat threatening. Rocket shrugs tiredly.  
"Only one way to find out," he nods slides the slightly cracked googles back onto his eyes, doing his best to push his fears for the others aside, telling himself they were fine, **she** was fine.

Peter nods in agreement. The two move towards the tunnel radiating the most heat in hopes of reaching their intended destination with no further quarrel.


	26. 25: The Temple

The temple. It was huge, inside and outside, but, of course, the interior, though seemed simple, was more complex.

The ceiling laid above their heads by at least eighty feet. Huge!

Every face of it: walls, ceiling, floors, pillars, were made of the same, greenish-blue material that had a dark aura to it.

There were carvings all around that were sure to tell a story the Guardians simply weren't interested enough to decode.

It was cold inside, a smell they couldn't quite place. The cracks in the ceiling gave limited lighting, but enough to see clearly.

But, the most intimidating trait, was the impending silence that lied within. It gave way to thoughts, thoughts that only proved to be heavy and dreadful. The separation was too much for them, some more than others. It was sudden, unplanned, and didn't exactly happen gracefully.

Drax was constantly wondering what his friends were currently up against, his heart and head heavy with concern.

For so long he'd been alone. He'd found a friend in Peter, someone to argue with, yet relate to, in Rocket, someone to adore and care for in Groot. They were just as important for him as the two girls in his current company.

Gamora was just as concerned, and though she tried to appear calm, to think straight, it was easier said than done.

Ever since that night on Knowhere, her and Peter had connected. Their bond grew with time, and she never quite understood what it might lead to.

Love was something the Zen-Whoberi had never experienced, not from her father, her sibling. No one. The way Peter treated her, though she was no stranger to men's flirting, it was the look he gave her every time their eyes met, a look she'd never seen before. It confused her mind, yet, made her heart dance at the same rhythm the Quill-boy's feet did.

Her rational thoughts boded her emotions and inner-reactions silly, but her heart fought strongly against that, and held onto those emotions and their source with all its might.

He was changing her. One thing was for sure, she would not bear his loss.

But she could not afford to think like that right now.

From behind her, Drax eyes around hopefully. Perhaps the others had already made it into the temple, but there was no one else around.

"Rocket. Come in," Petra tries for the umpteenth time as Gamora scoured around for an entrance underground, hoping the boys had somehow already made it there, what with falling in the tunnel and all. "Damn it! Come on!" the red-head yells impatiently, heart beating like a speedy hammer to a nail, equally as painful.

There was definitely someone at the other end of the line, but the signal was so scrambled and Petra wasn't sure anymore if it was true, or if her mind was just giving in and making her hear what she wanted to hear. The unsureness was driving her mad.

The Quill-girl roughly washes a hand through her loose hair strands, forcing them back in place and away from her view as she tried again and again.

Gamora and Drax turn to her small, terrified figure. They could not even begin to imagine what she must be going through. How hard it must be, not knowing how your only family member was fairing on a death-impending planet. The two were also well aware of her feelings for Rocket, and though Gamora had similar feelings for Peter, she and Drax knew they were not as strong as the bond shared between the group's two master-minds.

However, having observed the temple, unlike Petra, the two had sensed there was more to the three suspicious pillars on separate walls than meets the eye, but they would need their friend's focused and witty mind to help decode it, if only for the sake of grasping at the possibility of finding the others underneath them, a thought that hadn't yet crossed Petra's mind.

"Petra," starts Gamora calmly, as calm as she could be right now, approaching the near-to-exploding red-head, "I need you to listen to me, okay?" she asks. Petra turns her fearful, teary eyes to the Zen-Whoberi. Seeing the Terran like this, it made both companions wince. Gamora inhales and recollects her thoughts. "I know you're worried. Believe me, so are we," she glances at Drax. Petra mentally disagrees. It was **her** brother, and **her** best friend. She didn't think it was possible for anyone other than herself to feel as light-headed and heavy-hearted as she felt right now.

"But we have to keep moving because, as far as we're concerned, they could be under us, right now, or headed that way," she points to the ground. Petra eyes her quizzically. "They fell into a **tunnel** , Tri. I saw them," Petra slowly process this, just now thinking that was important. "And, I mean," Gamora lets out a hesitant chuckle, "it's **Rocket** , and **Peter** ," she says as a matter of fact, as if it should be obvious that they were most definitely fine, "They wouldn't just be sitting around. They're moving, and wherever the path downstairs is, it needs to be open when they get here. And we need your help doing so," Gamora tells hopefully. Drax nods in agreement.

Petra absorbs the information she was too worked up to see. She takes a shaky breath. Slowly, she settles, her breathing straightens, and her mind clears. _'They're fine. They're fine,'_ her rational mind continued to imply, grateful that someone other than it was speaking.

"Okay," the red-head utters, nodding quickly and placing the emergency radio back in her pocket, alas, ready to work. Gamora and Drax smile in relief and gratitude. She spares a quick glance around, the other two at either sides of her. Drax then points around.

"These three pillars look oddly suspicious," he states. Petra follows his line of vision. She takes a few closer steps towards one of them. It was of course, enormous. It's shadow equally as big, but, for the red-head, it was easy for her to note that there was more to what lied on top of it.

The Quill-girl fired up her Roosters, hoping the fuel-wasting was worth it. She made it to the top, flashlight on as the other two waited below for her call.

On her way up, Petra passes a huge, gold-made, concave, reflective plate that somewhat perplexed her, but the start of a puzzle was always confusing. Further atop, there was another one attached to the pillar itself, and at the very top, another, attached partly to the ceiling and the wall. Opposite the final plate was a hoop, on the head of the pillar itself. Petra came closer and studied the hoop, the only thing catching interest was the material itself. It was easily flammable for a long duration of at least two hours.

"Okay!" she yells at the others below, "I'm gonna try something! Tell me what you see!" she tells.  
"Okay!" Gamora yells back.

Petra wires up her gauntlet, flies a few steps back and to the side, away from the reflective surface. She fired at the hoop, which retorted in an intense, red flame that spread no further than the hoop itself. The intensity of the resulted light reflects onto the tilted lens across it. The light jumped from plate to the last, that set the beam a thin path within a hole in the pillar that was too small for the red-head to notice.

The light hit the ground at a certain point of a circle shaped engraving, two adjacent that drew out a triangle.

"It made a line!" Drax shouts excitedly. Gamora rolls her eyes at him.

Petra falls back down, having unknowingly missed a small detail about the hoop.

She studies the floor with the others, then turns towards the far off, opposite pillar.

"What did you do?" Gamora asks curiously. Petra wasn't in the mood to explain, so she sloppily summarized.  
"Shot the hoop thingy at the top," she tells. Gamora is slightly taken aback. Petra was never one to summarize anything complex. They usually fascinated her, but Gamora supposed she would excuse it what with the current, stressful situation.

It takes Drax a moment to comprehend the summary, but when it hit him and he figured it was easy, he decided to do the next one.

"I get the second pillar!" he tells, jogging off in its direction.  
"We should get the last," Gamora tells Petra, who nods, and they move as well.

When there however, it was found that the middle lens, the one held into the pillar, was broken, its detached piece on the ground below. And the last thing it was, was light.

It took both Drax and Gamora to pull up the piece and refit it in the right spot on the pillar high up.

When that was done. Petra shot the third hoop, and all three beams of light hit the ground. It began to shake. The Guardians hurried as the floor opened up in a star-like manner, revealing another, large set of stairs to climb down.

All went quiet. The three stood cautious as the pathway remained suspiciously open.

Still in doubt, they enter, in hopes of finding their friends.

* * *

"Damn it!" yells Rocket, voice echoing about the dimly lit walls, trying the coms for the fifth time since he and Peter moved through the heat-radiating tunnel-way, alas even getting the chance considering they weren't being chased down.

Peter was beyond anxious for a reply as well, but Rocket's constant swearing and yelling at the device was putting him on edge and irritating the heck out of Groot, who didn't dare say a word, Peter however.

"Will you stop that?! You're freaking me out!" he tells sternly. Rocket snaps to him.  
"You should be freaked out!" he tells. Peter rolls his eyes.  
"Oh, for god's sake!" he sighs. There was just no talking to Rocket. What on earth does his sister see in him?

* * *

 _"_ _Do you have what I asked for?"_ asks a deep voice on a com system. Rod smirks at the question.  
"We're minutes away from doing so," he replies.  
 _"And the Guardians?"_  
"We showed them what we're capable of."  
 _"…Good. Report back when it's done."_  
"Roger that."

* * *

Down at last, Gamora, Petra, and Drax are presented with the sight of an enormous cave, lit about by strange green stones engraved in the walls. Many tunnels lay about them, some seen, others shadowed in the darkness.

At the far end of the cave, was a glass-seemingly-made, hexagon contraption, and within it, was most likely what they came for.

It was a small vile, its contents as green and glowing as the stones around. They weren't sure nor cared what it did, after all, they were only here for the Clan that was yet to show.

Familiar voices grasp their attention. The group look around for the source, moving apart. The voices come closer, the three warily pull out their weapons. They had discovered that, in a dark spot, midway of the left side-wall of the cave, was the source of the sounds. They neared it with their flashlights, finding it to be one of the tunnels.

Dim lights emitted from said-tunnel, nearing by the second. The sounds then went quiet and only footsteps could be heard, louder by the minute.

Alas, from pitch-black darkness,

appears **Starlord**.

Petra gasps in both shock and relief, charging into her equally shocked sibling's arms. "Oh, thank god!" she breathes into his shoulder.

Drax and Gamora smile in relief, the Zen-Whoberi shocked at just **how much** relief she was feeling at that very moment, seeing him, well and alive.

Petra then pulls back and takes hold of Peter's face. "Are you okay? What happened?" she asked hastily, looking him over for any serious injuries, fortunately, there were none.

In a split second, she snaps, recalling. "Where's Rocket?!" she questions, eyes wide.

"Can't get rid of me that easily, Red," his voice calls, coming up behind Peter before he got a chance to reply. Rocket could not even begin to comprehend the relief he felt, seeing for himself, that she was okay.

The red-head's gaze turns to her furry-friend, a number of emotions overwhelming her fragile heart. She releases Peter and hurries towards him, leaving a slightly offended, mostly irritated Peter behind.

Petra drops to her knees and pulls Rocket into her arms. He is slightly taken aback,

but,

to him,

there was nothing more soothing than being in Petra's loving, caring embrace.

Rocket wraps his arms around her head, clenching red-hair strands into a fist as if to ensure she wouldn't slip away, inhaling her scent, listening to her beating heart, well-aware that his was beating at the exact same rate.

A slight movement in Rocket's pocket makes him pull away. The two look down to see an expecting Groot, smiling at Petra in greet.

Petra is shocked to see him. She felt guilty for almost completely forgetting about him. "Groot!" she exclaims.

At the front, Peter turns to the others, rolling his eyes at his sibling and the raccoon. The Quill-boy was barely able to get one word out before he was crushed by two strong arms placed around him. Peter raises his eyebrows at the smiling Destroyer. "I am glad you are well, Peter!" he tells cheerfully.  
"Yeah, buddy," Peter says awkwardly, patting him on the back. "Glad you're okay too," Peter tells, smiling warmly. It was always good to know how much you are cared for.

Drax then releases his friend to go greet his other ones. Peter is finally able to turn to Gamora, his eyes going soft upon landing on her, able to read every single emotion behind her glittering eyes.

She stood shyly, one hand resting on her arm, her mind embarrassed for how relieved she was when she saw him, yet her heart filled with joy. Her inner conflicts reflected on her hesitant reactions when Peter gave a mischievous smirk she figured she would never get used to it, or what he did or said after it.

Peter took threatening steps towards Gamora, confirming that whatever he was going to do, she probably wasn't going to like. Gamora begins shaking her head warningly, only growing a grin on the Quill-boy's face.

"No," she tells as he spreads his arms. He ignores it, enjoying every moment of teasing her. "No. No!" she tries, but it wasn't like he ever listened.

Peter pulls Gamora into his arms, making her sigh in feigned irritancy that he saw right through. Peter was well aware of her inner conflicts, and he sought to win her heart, like she, unknowingly, stole his.

Peter then pulls back, but not entirely. He held her close by the hip, admiring her every feature, and Gamora can't help but admire back, accepting how much she'd missed him in past few hours.

"I'm glad you're okay," she tells, resting her arms on his. Peter wasn't expecting that. He takes it as a step in the right direction and smiles contently.

The group, too distracted by their reunion, failed to notice that, up the stairs, the ground sealed shut, leaving no way back up. What Petra had failed to notice was that the hoops were mounted on a mineral from the planet itself that decreased the duration of the flame to mere minutes.

Which was also why the six friends held no knowledge of the guests upstairs until it was too late.


	27. 26: Ambushed!

"Captain. I'm getting interference. There are people beneath us," one of the mercenaries with heat-detectors calls to Rod, who had just entered the temple with his dozen or so men. His pilots hovered his ship above the temple itself.  
"How many?" he asked suspiciously as the rest of his men eyed around for the hidden entrance they had been informed of.

The fire Petra had shot to light the hoops had died out. It was supposed to last for at least two hours, but it was what she had missed to note, the material of the hoop-holders that reduced that period to mere minutes.

"Five," the man answers, missing on Groot.

Rod smirks knowingly. "Forget the entrance," he calls to his men, who eye him in confusion, "We'll make a new one. Get the TNT."

…

And BOOM!

The Guardians barely had time to react as their happy reunion was cut short by the rain of falling rocks from above.

Peter practically carries Gamora and jumps out of the way, landing far enough, but on top of her.

Drax does the same with Rocket and Petra. Rocket doesn't like it, but is too freaked to complain as the stones made loud, rumpling collisions with the cave's floors, shaking them.

Before being able to comprehend or put reason to what was happening, the Guardians witness as men dressed in black begin to descend down ropes one after the other.

The men aim their weapons at each of the Guardians, who quickly detected hostility and scurried back up to their feet, helping each other up.

Rod himself soon descends. The fact sinks into the friends that their plan had backfired. Instead of ambushing, they got ambushed.

There were four guns aimed and Peter and Gamora. Eight at the others. Rod in the middle of it all, joyful.

He turns, making eye-contact with each of them, also not noticing Groot, who was hiding behind Rocket's leg.

The Terran lets out an amused, cold laugh. "I'm gonna be honest. Didn't expect to be seeing you freaks any time soon," he grinned.

Rocket lets out a low, wrathful growl for being outwitted and having it rubbed in his face. From beside him, Petra's ear perks at the sound. She places a cautious hand on his shoulder to pull from his rage, and it worked, if a little too much, cause all he could think of now was her soft, warm hand.

"Well," Peter replies to Rod, "you stole from us. What did you expect?" he asked sarcastically, trying to cool the heat of the threatening position him and his friends were currently placed in.

Rod then smirks. "Do you even know **what** we stole?" he mocked. Peter clenches his jaw in irritancy, Gamora wary of his reaction.  
"Well, you didn't exactly give us a chance to figure that part out," Peter told, stalling for one of his brainiacs to come up with something, fast. Rod let out an entertained laugh, admiring Peter's personality.

As hoped, each of the two was studying their surroundings ethically, but their attention was seized when Rod ordered two of his men to break the seal, pointedly eyeing the vial's protective glass-case.

With the minor distraction, Groot had snuck out from behind Rocket. Rocket felt the movement he was extremely against, unable to even glare at him in fear of exposing his little guy, who was moving towards one of the near guards that were now reduced to six as the other two moved to the case.

Being so close to Rocket, Petra notes Groot as well. She makes small hand movements towards her hoisted blaster, slightly nudging Drax along the way to prepare. He takes the hint and straightens up.

From across them, Peter, who had close eyes on his sister, noted their slightest of movements. Knowing them so well, he understood they were readying and expected a distraction of some sort to occur.

Gamora however, was too distracted by the men working to open the glass case. Her mind ran at lightning speed with questions of who these people really were, why they thought they knew more about the artifact they'd stolen from them, why they even seemed to know more about it other than the fact that it was pricey. It was as if everything they were doing was part of something larger, something bad. And she needed to find out what that was.

"What do you plan on doing with that?" she questions warily. Peter perks at her voice, adrenaline rushing through to jump at any time, as if his own body thought her in danger and sought to protect her.

Rod turns to face her, smirking, nearing her and Peter somewhat, tensing them up. "You'll see, soon enough," he tells, turning away and talking aloud, one hand clenched behind his back as he gestured with his index finger. "You know, boss thinks you guys could someday be useful…that's the **only** reason you're not **dead** right now," he says the last statement coldly.

Before one of the Guardians got the chance to ask about said boss, Rod resumes his speech, pretending to think for a moment.

" **But** ," he emphasizes. If there was an alternative to (Not dead right now.) it wasn't going to be pretty, and that was when the six tensed up, fearful of the pointed weapons and the Terran's next words. "You are persistent…This," he points to the ground, as in the current situation, "changes things."

At that, his men, except those working on the glass, wire up their weapons, striking horror and wariness into the hearts of the Guardians. "Boss will thank me, for taking out the trash," he grins.

Just before shots were fired, and anyone could react, the man to Rocket's right lets out a scream, grasping the attention of all who were present.

Groot. The perfect, unexpected distraction.

Wasting no time, the Guardians swing into action. Drax charges into the two mercenaries beside him, his immense weight throwing them off guard and onto the ground painfully.

Rocket jumps off the floor and onto the head of the man Groot was prickling with his sharp and pointy texture. While the man struggles to throw him off, Rocket pull out his electric blaster and shoots at the one behind him before he could react.

Petra, as well, had immediately stepped into action, using both blaster and gauntlet to fire at the two opposite her.

From across the four, Gamora and Peter too were taking care of the threats about them.

As all erupts to chaos, the Guardian gain the upper hand with the element of surprise by their side. Well, temporarily anyways.

Upon realizing what had happened, Rod rolls his eyes. If he had decided them dead, they would be so in the upcoming few minutes. His ego won him over, and he was certain that the hopelessly outnumbered Guardians would be defeated by the men he trained first hand. As for those who fail him, well, it was about time he got a filter for those worth standing by him, and those who were too weak, so he spared no thought and casually made his way to his other two workers, tinkering hastily with the vial's protective case.

Almost done.

Petra throws another punch at the man she faced. He evaded it, gripped her arm and twisted, but she'd suspected he'd do that. She does as Gamora trained her to. With her free hand, Petra held out a miniscule, well-hidden dagger, driving it into his side.

The man groans in pain and loosens his grip. She turns back into position, and gives the man a subtle kick. He stumbles back. Stood behind him, was Drax. He grasps the man's head and twists it vigorously. The mercenary tumbles to the ground, dead.

"Behind you!" Petra warns. Drax turns, but the man had already been shot down by Peter from across the room, who is then thrown to the floor by a man who had jumped him.

"I will save you Peter!" Drax shouts, storming towards him.

Petra turns to her side, where Rocket had already dealt with his adversaries. His eyes land on a very distressed Petra. "You good?" he questions. She quickly nods.  
"You?"  
"I'm pissed," he replies subtly. Petra grins at that, sharing the frustration.

Her eyes then land on Rod and the vial. The case was open, and its remnants were on the ground near the altar holding up the vial.

Rocket follows her wary eye-line curiously and witnesses as Rod uses a radio, contacting someone. As he speaks, he points to one of his men. The mercenary then attempts to cautiously retrieve the vial from the altar without triggering anything out of the ordinary.

Nothing happens.

Rod and the two men then begin to walk back. Seconds later, another explosion emits, echoing through the walls and floors, creating a largish hole right above the alter.

Rocket realizes what is about to happen. "They're tryin' to escape!" he yells, hurrying towards them. Petra follows after him, scooping Groot up off the floor and into her pocket along the way.

Rocket pulls out his blaster and attempts several shots at Rod, who had succeeded in evading each one as he returned the favor, but Rocket was fast, light on his feet.

Petra had reached the two men before Rocket reached Rod. She had managed to permanently shoot one down with her gauntlet, but the other one wasn't down just yet.

Running on all fours, Rocket sprinted towards the adjacent wall, bounced onto it, and retorted with a flying punch to Rod's face that was too fast for him to comprehend.

Rod wasn't one to frustrate easily, but he'd just been outwitted by a **raccoon**. He wasn't going to let that slide.

Rocket sought to utilize Rod's distraction. He hurried behind him, bounced onto the altar and attempted another punch at the back of Rod's head, but he was smarter this time, faster. Rod twisted at just the right moment, driving his arm into Rocket and sending him flying into the wall vigorously.

Petra, who was struggling with the well-trained man opposite her, her eyes went wide when Rod pulled a gun out on the fallen Rocket.

Rod smirks in victory, that is cut short when a knife whizzed through the air and into his weapon, disarming it and him.

Gamora.

Petra breaths in relief and goes back to struggling with her persistent adversary.

As Rod and Gamora fight yet again, both equally strong enough to hold each other off, Rocket takes note of the vial, lying solely on the ground for the taking.

It had dropped from the man Petra was fighting. Rocket hurries towards it, hoping to win him and his friend's **something** out of this failed mission.

However, Rocket hadn't noticed the slight crack on the vial's glass. The second the liquid inside came into contact with his skin, he was pushed back with an immense force that spread across the entire area surrounding him.

He, Rod, Gamora, Petra, and the man she fought, were all on the ground, but Rocket was the only one unconscious.

A silence spreads as the group attempts to comprehend what had happened. Rod deduces it first. On the ground, he points to the mercenary near Petra. "Contain it," he demands. The man does as told, throwing an object onto the vial that had engulfed it in a case of an elastic fabric.

Realizing what was happening, and not yet noticing Rocket, Petra shoots out a tracking device on said mercenary as he and Rod begin to ascend ropes up through the hole in the ceiling and away, escaping as Gamora crawled over to Rocket.

Petra's attention then diverts to her two friends. Her heart pace quickens extremely when she sees her unconscious, furry friend.

She falls beside him. "Rocket!" she calls worriedly, shaking him slightly, placing a hand on his cheek. "Rocket, wake up," she tells loudly, losing it with every passing second.

Drax and Peter approach them, having finally dealt with the men they were fighting. The two watch as Gamora and Petra sit by an out-cold Rocket, clear distress all over the red-head's features. "What happened?" Peter asks in concern, and slightly out of breath.

Gamora is about to explain when another, much louder explosion goes off. The Guardians look up. No hole emitted this time. Instead, the ceiling began to crack full length, accompanied by a deathly, rumbling sound. It quickly cleared up, Rod and his men were attempting to bury them alive.

"We have to get out of here," Peter states the obvious. He turns back to Rocket, quickly thinking. "Drax," he points. The Destroyer nods understandingly. He kneels beside Petra and picks his furry friend up and over his shoulder as Peter leads and Gamora helps Petra up.

"This way!" Peter hastens as he ran towards the tunnel him and Rocket had come out of, considering they'd seen largish holes back there. It was most likely a suitable way out. "Petra, call the ship!" the Quill-boy orders. Petra does as told as, from beside her,

Gamora gawks at what was sure to be impossible.

But it was happening.


	28. 27: Bigger!

"Come on!" yells Peter. The group follow into the cave. A few seconds later, the ship arrives and they could see and hear it directly on top of them through the cracks and holes. They haste as the rest of the place threatens to fall apart.

Petra looks up from the small device she'd brought the ship with as Peter begins to climb the automatic-dropping ladder.

Her jaw drops.

The red-head is in pure shock, as is Gamora, who hadn't said a word yet about the uncomprehend-able situation as the group attempted to escape.

Drax groans in pain. "This place is weakening me!" he exclaims, feeling as though Rocket had grown tons on his shoulder as he climbs the ladder.

But he **did**.

Aboard the ship, Peter had closed up the hatch when all were safe and sound inside. He was on the navigation deck, setting course into space, and away from the hell that was Reveserume.

Once out and safe, Peter lets out a sigh of relief. _'That was close,'_ he thinks. He then pushes himself off the pilot chair and heads to the lower deck to check on his friends.

"What the fuck?!" he exclaims upon reaching the floor. Peter is rotted in spot, jaw dropped as he witnessed a now five or more feet tall Rocket, lying on the ground, still unconscious.

Drax and Gamora were on either sides of Rocket, on their feet, equally shocked. Groot was near Rocket's face, disbelieving his eyes.

Petra re-appears into the room with a perfume bottle, snapping them out of it. She drops to the ground in haste, opening the bottle and bringing it close to his nose.

The smell hits him. He sniffs in confusion. His eyes then shoot open. Petra leans back slightly and Rocket jerks up in shock, breathing heavily. "What happened?! Wha-" he shouts in distress. Petra quickly places a hand on his shoulder, extremely wary of how small her hand seemed on him now. Rocket snaps in her direction.  
"It's okay! It's just us!" she tells hastily.

He somewhat calms down, but it is quickly replaced by utter confusion. He furrows his eyebrows at her suddenly small face. He looks at her hand still on his shoulder. Rocket gently snatches it and studies it.

Petra's face flushes red. She gulps nervously. It hit her now how big he'd become.

Peter goes from confused to extremely wary in a split second. _'Oh my god! He's big now!'_ his mind yells, thinking that this pushes the odds to the possibility of an actual relationship arousing between his sister and Rocket, the still raccoon.

However, he sanely convinces himself that he was overreacting, Rocket was simply in shock, and his sister and her goddamn hand happened to be the first thing he saw when he woke up.

Rocket then tears his eyes from her hand, but hadn't let go of it. He eyes around at the rest of them, eyes going as wide as windows.

Releasing Petra, Rocket bolts from the floor, stumbling from getting up to quickly. "Wooow!" he lets out, about to fall, but Drax gets a hold of him, Petra too.  
"Easy!" she warns, one hand on his back and another on his chest. She was forced to look up in order to make eye-contact. He was as tall as Peter now, maybe slightly shorter. "Easy," she repeats, but trails off when he looks down at her, big, warm brown eyes.

She lets out a shaky breath, unable, for the life of her, to compose her crazed heart, or her explosive blushing. Her mouth hung slightly agape, at loss for words.

Rocket's ears perk at her ever-so-familiar heart beats. He studies her flushed features, a smirk growing on his face.

He may have been confused before,

not anymore.

Rocket officially grasped at the reality of what had happened, and all he could think about, was her.

He finally had a chance.

Of course, Peter notes this too, the others too, but he is furious. From across him, Gamora glances warily at Peter, the look on his face proved to her that the next few days would most likely be…well…difficult.

"Will someone tell me what the hell happened back there?!" he yells, grasping everyone's attention. Gamora answers first, if not quickly.  
"Rocket touched the vial," she tells shortly.  
"So **this** happens how?!" he aims both his arms at the man-sized raccoon.  
"Everything on that planet was big. It made Rocket big too." Drax tells.

"How do you feel?" Petra asks him worriedly. It takes his mind a moment to realize she'd said something rather than get re-mesmerized by those glowing eyes of hers.  
"Weird," he answers honestly.

Petra furrows her eyebrows in concern. "Come on," she beckons with her head, "I'm gonna run some tests in my room," she tells. Rocket nods as he weighs off Drax and follows her.

She still had hold of him, and he made sure to be cautious with his steps, as if his whole bodily balance was off, but was gradually building back up.

Peter's mind clicks. "Why **your** room?!" he yells suddenly. Petra stops and eyes him weirdly, as does everyone else, except Gamora, who simply looks to the floor, unsure what else to expect.

"I mean," Peter tries to sound subtle, "why not here?" he gestures around as if he'd found the perfect place.

Petra rolls her eyes at his silliness, uncertain what he was getting at. Her and Rocket ignore him and move on, Groot close behind them.

"Or, your room's fine too," he lets out, following the two like a cop chasing criminals. Gamora blocks his path, glaring. Petra's room wasn't big enough to fit five grown people. She needed her space to work and make sure Rocket was well, Gamora understood that much.

"What?!" Peter asks her in annoyance, his two targets disappearing into the hall.

"We have more important things to discuss," Gamora tells. Peter barely heard a word she'd said, as if trying to get his vision to penetrate the walls. "Peter!" Gamora calls loudly. He snaps out of it and turns to her irritably. "We need to talk."

* * *

"There we go," Petra calls, carefully seating Rocket on the edge of her bed. After making sure he was stable, Petra hurries to grab a few things from her desk, shelves, and drawers.

Groot hops onto the bed and sits near Rocket, grinning. "What?" Rocket asks him suspiciously. Petra turns momentarily to see who he was talking to, then returns to rummaging her room.  
"I am Groot. (You're big and awesome now!)" Groot tells excitedly. Rocket smirks at this, getting infected with Groot's excitement for himself.  
"What, so I wasn't awesome before?" he teases. Groot's face falls, thinking he'd accidently insulted his friend. Rocket shakes his head and gives out a chuckle that reassures Groot. "I'm kidding…You did good today," he tells seriously, and somewhat proudly, making Groot break into a joyful smile.

From across them, Petra smiles at this, cheeks heating up yet again and heart rate increasing. ' _Goddamn it! Control yourself, Tri!_ ' her mind shouts scolding-ly.

She turns back around, her breath caught in her throat at the sight of the new him. She inhales deeply and attempts to pull her wild emotions together, at least until she made sure he was okay.

She takes determined steps to the bed and places the things on her bedside table. Rocket observes her every move admirably. She grabs a flashlight and turns to him, a small smile decorating her graceful features that put him in a trance as she neared his face.

She, hesitantly, brought her fingers up and held open one of his eyes. He barely feels it, too concentrated on her sweet scent, her face, her lips.

Passing the light by quickly, Petra made sure the pupils were fine, trying, quite oppositely, **not** to concentrate on how close they were.

"Okay," she calls calmly, taking a seat by him on the bed. "Tell me, how weird do you feel right now?" she starts humorously. He lets out a slight chuckle. He then does a quick, inner check up on himself. He felt fine.  
"I'm okay, Red. You don't have to worry your pretty little head about me," he flirts, making her blush, hard, as he listened intently to her heart, satisfied with her reaction, one that didn't differ much from when before he got bigger.  
"Rocket! I'm serious!" she whines.  
"So am I!" he tells amusingly. She rolls her eyes at him.  
"Okay. Well. I'd like to be sure, so…"

She trails off, reaching for an object on the table. Rocket's face falls in slight fear upon seeing it. Petra turns to him once more, furrowing her eyebrows in concern at his sudden flip. "Hey?" she calls in concern, following his vision to the needle in her hand, a look of realization washes down her face.

She puts it back down again, and adjusts herself in front of him, blocking his view of it, that source of dreadful memories.

But it was also a necessary medical tool. Petra needed to make sure he was okay, so that if he wasn't, she'd have time to do something about it, fast, and the best way to do that was to examine his current DNA modifications. She needed a sample of his blood, and he had to give it to her, willingly.

Rocket was staring at a spot on the floor, refusing to look her in the eye. Groot places a small hand on his thigh. Rocket eyes him gratefully momentarily, then looks away again in embarrassment.

What kind of guy was afraid of needles, but wasn't afraid to get shot? He didn't want Groot, nor her of all people, to think of him as some sort of silly, scared child.

But she didn't, and she never would.

"Rocket," she calls, cupping his face lightly, moving it to face hers. Though her touch was warm, and welcoming, still, he refused to make eye-contact. Petra smiles at him in sympathy. "Of all people, Rocket, I'm the last person you should try to hide from," she tells.

Groot watches them curiously.

As if enchanted by her words, though still hesitant, he locked teary eyes with hers. "It's okay," she assures. He exhales as if in relief. He feels as though the whole world had disappeared and it was just the two of them, peacefully.

Petra furrows her eyebrows again. She didn't want to, but she had to convince him. "You trust me, right?" she asks, already knowing the answer.  
"Of course I do," Rocket answers heavily, as if, behind that one sentence, were so, so many more, so many things, so many feeling he had to confess. She gulps.  
"Then you know, I would **never** do **anything** …to hurt you."

Rocket deduces where this was going, the wariness returning to his eyes. "Rocket, I need to make sure you're okay," she tells firmly. He exhales tiredly, very reluctant on giving in to what she wanted to do, "So, close your eyes, and don't open them till I tell you to," she demands softly.

Knowing the next step, Groot felt bad for Rocket, not daring to remove the hand he though would pull the fear and pain from his Rocket, who honestly appreciated it, but still didn't want him to see him like this. Damn his scarring past!

A heavy moment passes. Every part of his body was working hard at reminding him that this was Petra, the one person that showed him care and kindness. His one true friend. His Petra. He was safe with her. He knew that for sure.

So, eventually, Rocket does as he was told, and closes his eyes.

Petra takes this as a sign to start, fast. She exhales a shaky breath. She **really** didn't want to do this to him, but she had to, and since that was so, she would be ten times more careful with the needle, and ten times more aware of her movements. It was pressuring, but for Rocket.

She sprays a numbing substance on a spot on his arm, then takes it into her hand. He relaxes at her touch, trying, for the life of him, not to think about what was to come after.

He felt the needle prick his skin, and flinches slightly. Groot pushes his hand on Rocket's leg, diverting his attention somewhat. However, as soon as he felt the needle, it was gone. He hears the clatter of something metallic, then feels her rubbing cotton on the spot, then stops. Groot smiles in relief.

"You can open your eyes now," she tells. He does so, and smiles upon seeing her, as if thanking her silently, cause all he was able to do, was look at her, as if doubting such a unique beauty actually existed.

She couldn't entirely understand the way he looked at her, but though her mind couldn't comprehend it, her heart could. It felt heavy in her chest,

but it **felt** , and she felt too.

The exchange caught Groot's undivided attention. He'd been rooting for them for months now. Was it finally happening? His two favorite people coming together, and completing that fantasy-family of his, where she was mommy and Rocket was daddy?

Realizing she'd been staring, her cheeks burn up and she looks away nervously, making him smirk, purely ecstatic that, with every passing day, she made it clear, she felt the same way.

With him, she always felt exposed. And though it was irritating at most times, it was one of the many things that drew her **to** him.

"I'm…um," she starts, it taking her a moment to recall what she was about to do, "gonna analyze the sample," she tells rising to her feet. Rocket couldn't help but find it adorable, how shy she was.

He then turns to Groot beside him, and smiles gratefully at him, for being there for him, his little Groot.


	29. 28: Plan B

_A few minutes ago_

"What do you mean, you think they're up to something big?!" Peter asks Gamora tiredly, who had just told him her honest and concerned opinion about the mysterious, and lethal, Shadow Clan.

They were still in the kitchen, Drax seated on the table, Peter and Gamora across from him. Gamora was doing two things at the moment. First and foremost, keep Peter in line and away from his twin and her unprofessionally close friend. Second, needing him, team leader, to hear her plea and agree.

"Peter. They are a dangerous group of people, with resources, and numbers. They're collecting powerful relics for who knows what. You saw what that vail did to Rocket. Whatever they plan on doing with it, and the other amount of artifacts they seem to be hording, it won't be pretty," she tells firmly. Drax listens intently. Peter rolls his eyes.  
"Okay, then we'll stir clear of them," he tells uninterestedly. Gamora clenches her jaw.

But she knew why he was so tense. He would have heard her out more thoroughly if he were calmer, and he usually was. It was one of the many things she thought was wildly impossible to achieve herself, yet, admired how easy-going he was. It was contagious, and she liked it. But sometimes she wished he'd take certain matters more seriously.

Though Peter didn't, or couldn't put much thought into this right now, Drax did. He spoke next. "Their constantly cheerful leader said that his commander thought us useful. Had he not tried to kill us, what would he have wanted with us?" he offers curiously, and worriedly. Gamora nods quickly, pointing a hand at Drax.  
"And who **is** their commander?" she resumes, Drax nods along.

Peter exchanges glances between them. He could feel their words held seriousness, and so was forced to think about them. Sighing tiredly, Peter washes a hand down his face and nods slightly. "Okay," he starts. Gamora is relieved by his earned attention at last. Drax smirks at how easily he'd given in. "I'll talk to Yondu, tell him what happened, and see if he can help us find out anything more than we already know. Happy?" he asks her irritably, but the genuine smile on her face played his heart-strings, making him smile too.

The silence then kicks into his mind. "They've been gone for an awfully long time. I'm gonna go see what's up," he says suddenly. Gamora rolls her eyes as he storms off.

She quickly follows after him though; to insure he wouldn't act stupidly.

* * *

 _Now_

Petra makes her way to her desk to analyze the sample. On the bed Rocket's ears perk up. He could hear Peter's loud and fast footsteps from a mile away, just then noting that his hearing had increased with his size as well. He wondered what else had enhanced.

Peter barges into the room, without knocking as usual, startling Petra on the desk slightly. Peter stands at the door way, observing the situation. His two targets were at a safe distance from each other, which gives room for his worked up mind to relax.

Petra turns to his weird posture, rolls her eyes, and looks back to the digital microscope. Rocket smirks, curious as to exactly **what** Peter thought was going on in the closed bedroom before he came in threateningly.

Peter tries to act casual. "So, how's it going?" he asks, exchanging looks between the three present.  
"Awe! You're worried about me! I'm touched," Rocket tells sarcastically. Peter gives him a scoff-like grin, turning back to Petra, who has a wide smile plastered on her face. He furrows his eyebrows.  
"Everything's great," she says, turning on her wheeled-chair and facing Rocket once more. "You're in perfect health," she tells in relief and pure content. Rocket could tell she was seriously worried about him. He smiles happily at her.  
"Well, of course I am," he tells, as if he'd made sure he was fine just for her, eyeing her in great admiration.

She flushes red and purses her lips, looking to her lap as he refused to remove his eyes from her.

At the door way, Peter is beyond wary of what was going on. His mind thinks of multiple ways to break this, fast. "Great!" he yells suddenly, "Cause, Gamora-" he starts, then catches movement next to him. The Zen-Whoberi was now stood next to him, studying the situation carefully to try and process what sight Peter had been exposed to before she got there, in order to take charge if he over-reacted. Cause, honestly, nothing happened, yet anyways.

As Peter is distracted, Rocket attempts to get up. Petra hurries off her chair to his side. He raises an assuring hand at her and nods that he was fine to stand. She lets him.

"and I," Peter resumes, furrowing his eyebrows slightly at the two that were now uncomfortably close, "were just talking about the Clan, and how we think they're, um, dangerous," he tells, attempting at starting up a more distracting conversation.

Petra nods in agreement, processing his words carefully. This was probably as good a time as any to bring it up, but she thought **everyone** should know.

The red-head smirks in amusement. "I'm way ahead of you," she tells mischievously. Oh, how she loved surprising them. She eyes Rocket the same way they eye each other whenever they come up with a new invention, or a great plan. Playful, and up to no good.

He smirks understandingly as she rushes out of the room, obviously wanting them to follow. They do.

Petra enters the kitchen, where Drax was rummaging the fridge. She acknowledges his presence as he pulls out of it with a leftover sandwich in his hand.

Drax can see she is up to something, observing her determined steps curiously as she made her way to the wide screen on the wall, tampering with it as the other four appeared in the room.

Peter and Gamora take seats on the table, Drax too as Groot climbs onto the table itself.

Rocket is wary of his every step. Everything seemed so much smaller. It was alien to him, but he wasn't complaining. As a matter of fact, he found it very amusing, how small they all seemed now. But alas, he felt equal, and was eager to test out his new strengths.

Rocket leans on the wall casually next to the screen and Petra. The two automatically teamed up whenever something was even remotely related to technology.

Done, Petra moves out of the way and shows them the screen. "I'd managed to sneak a tracking device on one of them. They seem to be headed to Sulix," she explains.

Peter widens his eyes slightly. "What? And you want us to follow them?" he asks. Gamora furrows her eyebrows at him. She did say she wanted information on them, and couldn't see why Peter suddenly didn't like that.

In his defense, he said he'd ask Yondu, he didn't say he was willing to follow anyone around, especially when he didn't see any personal benefit in the situation. They still needed money.

Petra shrugs slightly. "Well, we need to refuel anyways. And it's pretty close by, so, we might as well see where they lead us," she tells. Gamora nods in extreme agreement. Drax doesn't mind. Groot isn't even listening. But the other two males, not so much.  
"Why would you wanna do that?" Rocket asks in confusion.  
"Thank you!" Peter exclaims.

Petra exchanges glances between the two of them weirdly, not understanding what the big deal was. Gamora then stands furiously. "Guys, we need to find out more about them! They're dangerous! They're up to something! We need to figure out what it is!" she tells.

She trusted her instinct, and if she felt the Clan meant trouble, then they probably did, just like when she chose to trust Peter and Petra all those months ago. She'd never regretted it since, and probably never will.

"Why?! What good would it do?!" Peter asks irritably. Gamora was always slightly dramatic in his opinion.  
"In case you haven't noticed, greeny. We're **broke**. What we need, is to find a job, fast," Rocket tells.

Believe it or not, though they didn't get along very well, Peter and Rocket were awfully similar.

Petra honestly didn't care what they did. However, if a decision was to be made, she wanted them to know all the facts before they made it. "Guys," she interrupts, driving all attention to her. She didn't mind. "If you're worried about the money. Rocket and I have a few extra blasters and some other stuff we could sell. So, chill," she tries, seeing as how things were heating up.

Rocket widens his eyes at her. "What?! Why? Why even bother? The Clan's gone! We couldn't negotiate! We couldn't get our stuff back! I say, get over it and move on!" he yells the last few statements at the persistent Gamora, who glares at him in return as Petra rolls her eyes.

Un-surprisingly, this was how they usually discussed things.

"NO!" shouts Drax suddenly startling them as he stood. "Gamora is right," he tells.

The Destroyer was only agreeing for his own reasons. He did not like being bested by others. He felt it hurt his dignity to fail. He wanted to show the Clan that the Guardians were not a group to push around, rather a group that pushes back. However, he appealed to the Zen-Whoberi's point.

"They are up to something. I can feel it. Something bad. We need to find out what it is," he tells.  
"Oh, for crying out loud!" exclaims Rocket tiredly, not interested in a single word.

In annoyance, Groot slaps his hands on his ears and holds. Petra sees him and realizes the yelling needed to stop. "Okay! Time out!" she calls loudly, placing a firm hand on the worked-up Rocket's shoulder, immediately shutting him up as his complete attention was diverted to her touch.

However, she is too caught in her words to notice the effect of her smallest of action on her admiring furry-friend. "Peter. Rocket," she starts, eyeing them both. Peter was about to lose it with all the touching, but then she removed her hand, and he decided to let it slide. This time.

"I see what you're getting at. It feels like we're wasting time with the Clan," she tells, Gamora and Drax glaring at her, but she wasn't finished yet, " **but** I'm also just as worried about the Clan and their intentions. We can get a job any time. And we have backup money…But we can't risk a surprise attack…Not again…We need to find out what they're planning, especially since they seemed to think we'd be willing to be a part of it. We're too involved to ignore this," she explains.

The others take a moment for her words to sink in. She was clearly taking Drax and Gamora's sides, but it was barely noticeable to the two males with the way she spoke.

She was appealing to their sense of nature. Neither liked surprise attacks, neither liked being a step behind of anything, but they were also somewhat obsessed with money, and so she assured them that there was plenty.

With all sides closed, the two had no further reasons to disagree.

Rocket smirks at his girl. Always the diplomat. "So, what's your plan, short stuff?" he asks. Peter rolls his eyes. This was way less annoying when Rocket was smaller.

Petra cocks an eyebrow at him. "Really?" she questions.  
"Does it bother you?" he smirks, the way he eyed her making her flush red.

Gamora senses a dangerous reaction from the Quill next to her. "Guys!" she calls, as if in annoyance, even though it was more in concern. They both turn to her. "The plan?"

And so, Petra shortly sums it, that they'd just tail them and see where'd they'd end up, then they'd come up with the appropriate plan.

With all on board, the group retire to their usual habits. Each of them took turns washing up the fight's filth as Petra cooked something fast up.

As so happened, Peter had contacted Yondu and informed him of everything as he'd requested. He asked him if he knew anything else about the Clan, but, as expected, the Zatoan knew nothing.

Out of bottled up frustration, Peter told Yondu about Rocket's new form, not really sure how Yondu would react to that, and he was fairly surprised when the Zatoan held a pissed-off expression upon hearing this. He was even more surprised when Yondu told him to keep a close eye on the two. Alas! Someone understood!

Their union at the dinner table was different this night. Even though a lot of them tried to start up conversations, it would still end up getting awkwardly quiet, for several reasons. One being that Peter was too wary and suspicious to talk about anything. Second being that Petra and Rocket themselves couldn't keep their eyes off each other, constantly forgetting that they weren't alone in the kitchen. Third being that Drax wasn't one to start up a conversation, so, really, it was just Gamora. Poor Gamora.


	30. 29: Unspoken

It was late at night. The Guardians were each asleep, or trying to, in their own rooms.

A lot had gone on in the past few days for most of them to actually be able to get any sleep, but only one of them did something about it.

Rocket twisted and turned in his bed uncomfortably. Tonight was just not his night. All he could think about was her. He was worried and happy.

Well, more worried than happy. Never had he wanted anything more in his life, and even with everything that had happened, it still seemed impossible. Rocket knew, he was falling for her, hard, and he kept wondering, did she feel the same way? Was it even possible for her to look at him that way? It was maddening.

His conspiracies lasted for hours on his bed, and exhaustion was getting the better of him, but he couldn't, for the life of him, shut his head up and get some sleep, which threw his thoughts into the night before, and how easy it was to accomplish sleep, of all things, with her by his side. Damn how she made everything so easy for him!

However, he had no idea that, through the adjacent wall, she lied on her bed, thinking about the exact same things.

She couldn't stop fantasizing, building up scenarios, picturing them actually getting together. One block always landed though, her brother. She found that her fluttering heart quickly pushed the thought of his reaction aside, and refused to stop that longing beating to the person in the adjacent room.

All of a sudden, as though her mind was pushed to a far corner in her head, and she was acting on impulse, Petra jumped out of bed and opened the door to her room. Heading cautiously, she shut her door quietly. If her brother saw what she was about to do, he would kill her.

But right now, she didn't care.

Stood opposite his door, she hesitates. _'Oh my god! Have you completely lost it?!..._

 _Yes…'_

she thought. Petra knocked softly on his door, and talked through the threshold in whispers. "Rocket? You up?" she asks, wincing at her own words, not even sure what the heck she was doing!

For a few seconds, there was silence. Petra's mind jumps back into action and slaps her across the face, yelling at her to go back to sleep and be grateful that he hadn't answered his door.

Then he did.

With his enhanced hearing, Rocket heard everything. He'd immediately bounced out of his bed, forgetting that he was shirtless, swinging his door open, freezing her in place.

With mind and heart at odds, she was at loss for words at the sight of him, face going red and heart jumping excitedly in place, eyes traveling further down before she quickly forced them back up to his eyes.

He loved seeing her at night. At that time of the day, with no one else around, she seemed to glow, like an angel. He never said it, but he loved it when her hair was down.

He was eager to hear what she had to say, yet, somehow, he rejoiced that she said nothing at all.

She didn't have to. He could see right through her, could almost make out the words behind her eyes.

Was there really a chance?

Petra realized she'd been staring awkwardly. She tried to speak, but stuttered instead, unsure what to say or do. "I…Um…I…"

A smile grows on Rocket's face as he nods slowly. "I know, Red.

I know," he tells softly.

Petra's mind couldn't comprehend what that meant, but, for some reason, her heart rejoiced, and she felt an incredible weight left off her chest. Like she'd said all she needed to say

without saying anything at all.

Rocket makes way for her, and her feet carry her into his room. Rocket climbs onto his unfamiliar bed and gets under the blanket as she watched him nervously, getting all kinds of second thoughts

and never listening to a single one of them.

He pats the spot next to him. She hesitates, but quickly gives in and follows after him.

As if naturally, they pulled closely. She placed her hand on his chest as he placed his arm around her now smaller figure securely, just then aware that he wore nothing on top. Still, his body cherished her touch extremely.

When settled, they each exhaled in relief, as if it had been too long.

Neither wanted to ruin the moment, so no words were spoken between them. Enough was being exchanged to ensure the two that this

was right,

that this felt right.

She could feel his heartbeats under her palm, and he could hear hers clearly. How quickly they beat appealed to both of them, knowing how they made each other feel.

However, suddenly. The two felt his chest vibrate. They pulled back an inch, her in slight shock and him in utter confusion as it wouldn't stop.

"What the hell?" he worriedly whispers so as not to wake up Groot. Petra lets out a quiet laugh. He eyes her quizzically.  
"You're purring," she tells, finding it beyond adorable. He still doesn't get it, so she explains further, being careful with her words. "It's something the…wild side of you," she tries as he cocks an eyebrow at the description he did not expect, but didn't seem to mind, the word 'wild' appealing to him, "does when you feel…peaceful and content," she tells, resting her head on her other fist, elbow on pillow.

Her heart pinches excitedly, knowing that she was the reason. Rocket wasn't entirely surprised by what'd she'd said. He simply didn't expect his whole body to react to being around her as his heart and mind always did, but he should have known better.

The two eyed one another yearningly, as if, with every passing second, their bond grew stronger as every part of them synchronized.

Petra smiles at his chest in content, caressing it subconsciously, and he loves it. "Mmm," he lets out, eyes shut as he focused on her every, warm, soft movement. Her eyes snap to his face, a mischievous smile growing on her own face at his reaction.

A shifting sound from Groot's casket snatches their attention, startling them somewhat, as if a sign that this was so not the time. Then it stopped, the little one was still asleep, relieving them. Even if he woke up, the two were well aware that Groot would never be against them. He would never expose them, Rocket was certain.

Petra falls back onto Rocket's shoulder, cuddling as he held her closely, a peaceful smile on both their faces.

They stayed that way for at least fifteen minutes, focused only on the presence of one another, and nothing else, until sleep carried them away.

* * *

Two hours later, Groot wakes up in the middle of the night, startled. He dreamt he was falling. He didn't like it.

Eyeing around for his source of comfort, he sees something even better, **two** sources of comfort, together.

Groot smiles widely, bursting with excitement. He stumbles out of his casket and makes his way to where Rocket and Petra were sleeping.

Rocket was on his back, and Petra was on the outer side of the bed, sleeping on his shoulder, one hand placed gently on his chest. Groot crawls across the blanket, then attempts to climb onto Rocket's chest.

Rocket awakens from the movement and flutters his eyes open, relaxing upon seeing it was just Groot, attempting to climb him. "Hey, twigs," Rocket welcomes in whisper, helping him up. Groot balls up on Rocket's, warm, furry chest and Rocket puts his other arm over him securely, exhaling contently for having the two most important people in his world right in his arms.

* * *

Several hours later, near the time where everyone woke up, Groot awakens to find himself hugged by Petra, who was now on her side, as was Rocket. The little one grins in anticipation, he could get used to nights like these, huddled between his mommy and daddy.

Upon noting he had to pee, and heeding Rocket's warning not to hold it in, so he wouldn't wet the bed again, Groot slithers out from between Petra's arm and stomach.

He hurries silently over to the door, opening and closing it securely behind him.

"Hey, Groot," Peter calls, who had just woken up along with the rest of the household, except the couple sleeping inside. Drax was the first to get up this morning, but had retired to the bathroom before waking anyone else up. Peter got up second, and took charge of waking the others up, starting with Gamora, who hurried off to the bathroom as well. He was heading for Petra next, but seeing Groot diverted his path.

 _'Uh, oh,'_ Groot thinks, eyes going wide. He may have been a kid, but he was Rocket's kid, which meant he was smart enough to understand that uncle Peter was very much against Groot's fantasy-family.

"Is Rocket still sleeping?" Peter asks casually. Groot quickly nods, hoping that would satisfy Peter and he'd leave without seeing anything.

Peter sighs irritably. "Doesn't he know what time it is?" he asks, mostly himself, aiming for the door. Groot quickly steps in his way. Peter almost kicks his small figure along the way, but was able to halt in haste. He eyes the little one in confusion and slight irritation. "What's wrong?"

Groot takes a moment to think, and as he does, so too does Peter.

Ever since last night, with the new and improved Rocket, Peter feared what would happen between him and his twin, so, naturally, that was the first thought to cross his mind, and,

unfortunately,

it was the right one.


	31. 30: Breakthrough

In the culprit's room, Rocket, who had Petra in his arms, on his bed, his ears perk up…at the sound…

of a reeving…

blaster.

His eyes snap open. He jerks up. "Wow! Wow! WOW!" he yells, shocking Petra awake as he stared wide-eyed at the blonde Quill, stood threateningly opposite them, gun in hand, wired up, and aimed at the raccoon himself.  
"Are you fucking KIDDING ME?!" shouts Peter as Petra's mind attempts to comprehend the situation.

Peter feels a soft kicking at his foot. He looks down to see Groot angrily punching it. He ignores him and looks onward.

"Peter," Petra starts cautiously, suppressing her rage at her brother's complete idiocy. "Put. The gun. Down," she tells. Peter snaps to her, flailing the gun in her direction carelessly.

As if on instinct, Rocket jumps into defensive mode.

"Don't-" Peter starts, but is quickly cut off by shock when Rocket took hold of his gunned-arm, twisted it till the blaster dropped, and sent a charging punch into his side-face, sending him tumbling to the ground pain.

Petra's hands fly up to her mouth as she lets out a gasp. Groot is in awe. Rocket, from beside Petra, simply stands there, disbelieving that such a blow had emitted from **him** , whilst regretting his clumsy course of action, even though he was only trying to keep the idiot from accidentally shooting his sister, but he could have at least avoided the punch.

Too late now.

"YOU SON OF A-" Peter starts, scurrying back up to his feet and readying to charge at Rocket before Petra stood between both of them, hands raised in each direction.  
"PETER! STOP IT!" she shouts just as Gamora rushes to the threshold upon hearing the commotion.

Peter is stood there, breathing heavily, a wild look in his eyes. Rocket is being cautious. "Nothing. Happened," Petra stresses.

Then she stops.

But she wanted something to happen last night. She still does. How much longer does she have to hold her feelings for Rocket, for the sake of Peter, or Yondu, or anyone else? How much longer does she have to hold back? **Why** does she have to hold back?

No. She doesn't. Not anymore.

"And, you know what?" Petra starts. They all eye her expectantly, Rocket's eyes going wide. He was the only one that truly understood what she was feeling, after all, he felt the same, and he knew, those feelings, drove him, sometimes to doing some pretty risky shit,

just like what he knew, she was about to do.

But he didn't stop her. He didn't want to.

"My love life is **none** of your concern," she firmly tells Peter. Rocket's heart jumps at her words. Peter's eyes go wide in shock and rage. Gamora carefully inches into the room, unable to predict Peter's reaction to that.  
"Have you freaking lost your MIND?!" he yells furiously, nearing Petra threateningly, making Rocket take defensive step forward that Peter was too furious to notice. He had no idea what he would do if Peter were to lay a single hand on Petra. But, fortunately, Peter wasn't that type of guy, even when blinded by rage.  
"WHY?!" Petra shouts back fearlessly, well aware of that fact, "Because of **what** he is?" she asks in refusal, aiming a hand at Rocket. His face falls upon being reminded by that damned fact.

Then, Petra inches closer to Peter, intent on making her point crystal clear. "Let me tell you what **I** see. A person, Peter. A goddamn person! Who can think, more than you can, at that," she starts. Peter clinches his jaw at her words, a semi-smirk grows on both Gamora's and Rocket's faces in amusement.

Petra then turns to face Rocket. "Who can feel," she smiles lovingly, and he cherishes it.

She turns her gaze to Peter once more, who is disbelieving everything he was hearing, everything that was happening. "Who can talk, and walk like any other goddamn guy!" she spat.

Peter's mind is in shambles, complete conflict. A part of him found sense in what she said, and the other part thought she was completely insane, not like he was going to give in that easily and just hug it out. "Do you actually expect this to work out?! I mean, **physically**?!"  
"And why **not**?! He has what it takes to be a man!" she tells, aiming a quick hand at Rocket's manhood, making all of their eyes go wide, except Groot, who was still confused.

No one expected her to ever say something like that, or, more accurately, no one ever acknowledged that very true fact, and that was why they were all mostly baffled.

Silence followed after that last statement, a number of thick emotions floating about the room's atmosphere. Gamora decides it was time to cut in. She grabs Peter by the arm. "Peter," she calls. He looks at her momentarily, then back at his sister and Rocket, speechless. "Let's go," she tells, pulling him out of the room. "Groot," she calls. He follows without question, unsure what was going on as Gamora closes the door behind them.

* * *

"Are you okay?" Gamora asks, stopping with Peter and Groot in the kitchen.

Groot climbs the table and watches them, trying to get at what was going on worriedly. All he could comprehend from the yelling was that Petra and Rocket were fighting with Peter because he saw them sleeping together. He doesn't understand what the result was. Were they friends again? What did Petra say that made things go quite? He couldn't understand.

In reply, Peter shakes his head slightly as his mind attempts to piece one and one. Gamora lets out a slight sigh. She wanted this petty squabble over with.

With all that was said from Petra, was enough to convince Gamora of one thing,

her and Rocket would never pull apart, for anyone.

It wasn't that she thought they didn't want to, but she'd manage to deduce that they somehow **couldn't** , not anymore, which left one other option.

Peter had to accept it.

She had to convince him. Better her than anyone else on this ship. At least he liked her enough to bother attempting to listen. "She's right. You know?" she tells carefully. Peter furrows his eyebrows at her in frustration.  
"About what?!" he asks irritably. Gamora stops for a minute, then speaks more firmly.  
"Why are you so against them?" she crosses her arms. "Is it because of what Rocket **is**?" she asks, attempting to prove a point.  
"Of course it is!" Peter somewhat shouts.  
"If it's not a problem for them, Peter, then it shouldn't be for you. They're not doing anything wrong," she chuckles slightly to lighten the mood. Peter stays stubbornly silent. "And, you and I both know, Rocket would do anything for your sister," she tells. At that, Peter actually listens, his mind quickly admitting to that fact with a firm (Yes, he would.) No doubt. "And he makes her happy," Gamora smiles.

"I shat as fast as I could! What is the problem?!" Drax shouts, appearing from the hall suddenly. The three present roll their eyes at him.

"I can't deal with this right now," Peter utters, walking off to his room, needing some space to think.

Drax furrows his eyebrows at Peter's leaving figure, then turns to Gamora. "What did I say?" he asks curiously, assuming he'd accidently insulted Peter. Gamora rolls her eyes again, and shakes her head as a (Nothing) gesture, too exhausted to re-discuss everything that had happened as she makes her way to her own room.

Drax then turns to Groot, super confused now. Groot simply gives him a shrug, showing that he was just as confused.

* * *

 _As Peter and Gamora were talking._

Peter and Gamora had walked out of the room. Gamora shut the door behind them, leaving Rocket and Petra alone, each still stood in spot.

"So," Rocket starts from behind Petra, approaching her as she turned to him, a wave of calm washing over her after the events that had just occurred when her eyes land on him. "I'm part of your love life, huh?" he teases, but was very serious still.

Petra rolls her eyes and smirks. "Oh, shut up," she tells jokingly, placing her arms around his neck, nearing till they were inches apart. The distance was enough to shut both of them up as she found herself moving to close it completely.  
"Red," he breathes shakily, unable to comprehend his position, somewhat fearing the next step.

She wanted to take that fear away, show him it was okay.

"Shh," she utters softly, placing her lips gently on his, taking his breath away.

His eyes immediately close shut as he feels the warmth of her lips engulf his,

and it was like fireworks.

His stray hands found rest on her waist, making her inch closer, longing for his touch as his unexperienced lips began to move along with hers as if naturally.

She smiled, unable to believe that this was finally happening. She cupped his furry face between her palms, taking lead as she kissed him all the more passionately. He moaned in pleasure, his head heavy as his hand moved up her back and pushed her closer against his bare chest, barely able to keep up as she lustfully tore at his lips.

And when she felt his purring start, she lost it, exhaling heavily in excitement, causing him to subconsciously tighten his grip on her eagerly as he listened in utter satisfaction to her heartbeats.

How different they were only seemed to lead them both on, showing more promise than worry.

It didn't matter to her how inexperienced he was. It was Rocket, and that was enough to make that one kiss, the best and most meaningful she'd ever had.

Suddenly, the door bursts open, making them jump apart. Drax stood at the doorway, his back to them as he eyed his odd conversation with Quill and Gamora suspiciously. He then turns to them, and is even more suspicious when he sees the state they were in.

They were both breathing heavily. She was hot-red, hair in shambles and shirt tangled. Rocket was still top-less.

Drax raises an eyebrow, all the pieces falling in place. He slowly walks out and closes the door, now well aware of everything he had missed.

Petra and Rocket exhale in relief when the door shuts, then turn to each other, grinning excitedly, letting out a laugh.

They then grow silent, observing each other wondrously. Oh, how long they've been holding back?

Petra feels her heartbeats rise and butterflies swarm her stomach, making her nervously look away. Damn did he love it when she blushed! "I'm…gonna go wash up," she tells lastly, walking out the door.

After what had just happened, the two had almost completely forgotten about what had happened with Peter,

and all they could think about, was each other.


	32. 31: The Awkwardness

Petra steps out of the room, just then being recalled by the previous, tense events that she did not wish to remake. There was no one around, surprisingly, so she snuck into her room, grabbed her things, then quickly made her way to the bathroom.

Groot **was** around, she just didn't see him, what with the sneaking around, which made the child very suspicious as well.

So, he scuttled off to Rocket's in hopes of getting convenient answers.

He lengthens his arms to the door handle, and opens it. Rocket had changed into his favorite outfit, the only one that fit him now, since it had grown with him. He spent the night in one of Peter's worn out shorts. Disgusting, but it was either that or sleep naked, and Rocket figured it wouldn't be a good idea for that specific night, the night he suspected **she** 'd show.

Groot walks in as Rocket turns to see who had opened the door. "I am Groot. (Rocky?)" he calls. Rocket turns as Groot closes the door.  
"Yeah, kiddo?" he asks suspiciously.  
"I am Groot. (Why was uncle Peter and Red yelling?)" Groot inquired worriedly. Rocket's features tensed at being reminded of that, then softened at how innocent Groot sounded. He shakes his head dismissively.  
"Don't worry about it," he assures, fixing his vest.  
"I am Groot. (Is it because he doesn't want you and Red to get married?)"

Rocket literally choked on his own breath. "W-…What?!" he questions in shock. Groot doesn't get his reaction. "Why do **you** think we're getting married?!" he asks, finding the word beyond weird, and intimidating, coming from his own mouth.

He crouches down beside Groot, serious mod.  
"I am Groot. (Because you're in love.)" Groot replies innocently. Rocket is beyond stunned from every word coming out of his kid's mouth. Where was he getting this?! It couldn't be from…  
"D…Did Petra tell you that?" he asked, feeling fear rush up his heart, the fear you get when something you don't know how to deal with comes across you.  
"I am Groot. (No. But…)" he started twirling his leg on the floor, and looking at it, a sign of nervousness, assuming what he was about to say sounded slightly silly because of how happy it made him feel. "I am Groot. (In the fairytales, the prince and the princess love each other.) I am Groot. (They are always happy to see each other.) I am Groot. (They take care of each other, and do everything together.) I am Groot. (Just like you and Red.)" he explains.

Rocket's mind attempts to process this. He subconsciously studied every sentence the further Groot spoke, and, to his own shock, check-marked each one. If that was the list they had to complete to become fairytale lovers, then they've passed it by far.

But they couldn't be…

…Or could they be?...

No. It's too soon…

…

…Right?...

"I am Groot. (So…)" Groot calls, snapping Rocket out of it. "I am Groot. (Do you love each other?)" he repeated expectantly. Rocket's mind went blank for a full moment. For god's sake, Rocket was yet to find out what **love** even meant! He couldn't answer that!

"I don't know, Groot," he answered truthfully. "I don't know," he repeats to his confused self, moving to walk out of the room.

* * *

 _A few minutes earlier_

Petra reappears from the bathroom and stumbles into her twin, who had spent an ample amount of time **thinking** in his room, something he didn't do often.

He didn't come to much of a conclusion either, so one thing was for sure, he wasn't ready to talk, with **either** of them.

But, they still had a job to do, and their feelings never really stood in the way of jobs. That was all he was trying to think about. So, he went out and about gathering his crew, even Rocket, but he left him for last, cause he was the last person he felt like talking to at the moment.

Head to head in the hall way, neither of the siblings say a word.

Petra, being the way she was, was dying to fix things, so, naturally she was going to try.

But there was no way in hell she was taking back what she said.

"Peter, I-"  
"No, Petra. Not now," he cuts off, somewhat calmly, which worries Petra further.  
"But-"  
" **After** the mission," he told firmly, then beckoned her to follow.

She did so cautiously, coming out of the hall with her things still in hand. She follows him into the kitchen, where everyone else was waiting to get the plan straight, all but Rocket, who entered the room a second later.

He eyed Gamora and Drax, who were seated at the table, suspiciously, eyeing him unreadably, then noted the twins by the hall. Peter gave him a tired expression, and Petra an alert one.

Gamora made her opinion clear to Peter. Right now, all she wanted was for the quarrel to end.

Drax didn't mind what was happening, but was still trying to accept it. All of it. Rocket's new size. Picturing him and Petra actually being together. Picturing Peter being okay with that. All of it.

Of course, the thing that bothered Rocket most, was Peter's rejection, now noting how awkward the situation was. Not just because he wanted to be with her, but, in all honesty, he couldn't picture **not** being friends with Peter. He didn't like it.

Damn the Quills and the powers they had over him!

Peter quickly diverted all attention to what he thought mattered at the moment.

"Okay, so. The tracker stopped. Specifically, at a bar, named Grinx," he started.

Everyone listened thoroughly, honestly not wanting to consider the alternative conversation they could be having right now. Rocket pulled out a seat and sat opposite Gamora, facing Peter, who stood at the tip of the table. Drax in front of him, and Petra gone to sit opposite Drax.

"It's got a reputation, so, it'll be crowded. Which means, whatever we're planning, cannot include violence," he noted. Gamora spoke next, humoring him.  
"All we need is information. We simply need to achieve that without getting into quarrel," she applied.  
"How are we supposed to do that?" asked Drax, confused. Quarrel was the only way he could deal.  
"Undercover then," Petra added casually, momentarily forgetting the unforgettable awkwardness.

She had never had her brother this upset from her. It bothered her extremely. It bothered him too.

But, all feelings aside. They had to focus, and work **together** , despite their current feelings.

Peter slowly nodded, agreeing, a grand frown still decorating his usually swayed features, which only made her feel worse, wishing she hadn't said anything.

Rocket kept his silence, not wanting to anger the blonde further. For his sake, and Petra's.

"I checked in. Jax is outta town. I asked if we could use his apartment. It's close to the bar. He doesn't mind," Peter resumed.

Jax was an old friend, someone they'd helped on a mission before.

Petra nodded slowly, somewhat glad her sibling was being civil, something he didn't do often. It must have been really bad.

"Okay," Rocket spoke up for the first time. He was a talker. He couldn't suddenly stop being one. "So, how do we do this?" he asked seriously. Peter acknowledged the question, but didn't keep eye contact for long, which both males were grateful for.

"I'll go in," Petra told, eyeing her brother expectantly, who seemed disturbingly neutral. The rest eye her in confusion. Petra was the last person they'd ever send anywhere alone. They worried too much about her, and above them, was Rocket.

"What? Are you kidding me?! After everything we've seen from these a-holes, you wanna go in **alone**?!" he asked in disbelieve. Gamora and Drax agree as well.

But this wasn't her first time going undercover. She loved that he cared for her, but she wished he had more trust in her.

Peter, however, was at a cross-road. More was always being pushed his way, proving how much Rocket cared for his sister, how right he was for her, but, more disturbingly, proving how much Peter was wrong. He didn't like that.

"If I thought she was getting herself into any kind of danger she couldn't handle, or we couldn't handle for her, I wouldn't agree, Rocket. I'm her **brother** ," he noted firmly, shutting Rocket up.

And the awkwardness returns.

Peter turns to his twin. "We're an hour away. You should start getting ready," he told. She quickly nodded in an attempt to please him, the last thing she wanted to do right now was anger him.

She got up and headed off, Rocket still very much against the idea, but Peter was right as well, he was the brother, he knew better, at least, Rocket hoped he did.

"I'll help," Gamora stated, going after the red-head.

Peter hurriedly walks off and up to the navigation deck to avoid any further conversations, leaving Rocket, Drax, and Groot alone.

Rocket buries his head in his hands when Peter leaves, exhaling tiredly. _'What a day…'_ he thought.

Drax observes him carefully. For the first time in a long time, he could see, Rocket was actually hurting. Sure, most situations made him angry, but this one was different, and so, for the first time, Drax saw an honest side of Rocket he wasn't used to seeing, and it put a smile on his face.

He wanted to help, he really did, he just wasn't good at talking. He'd talk to Peter and get all sorts of weird reactions from him, it wouldn't be any easier with Rocket.

But still, he'd try.

First, he wanted to see if what he saw was for real, and, more importantly, he wanted to see what his furry friend actually thought of it.

"What is Petra to you?" Drax asks suddenly. It takes Rocket a second to comprehend Drax's odd question. He pulls back and looks at Drax, who had turned his chair to face him.  
"What?" he asks, honestly never able to expect anything that came out of the Destroyer's mouth.

Drax rolls his eyes irritably, wondering if Rocket was thick headed. "I will ask the question a different way then," he tells. Rocket waits somewhat impatiently. _'Why is everyone saying weird crap today?!'_ he wonders.

Drax leans forward, elbows on knees and hands clenched, utterly serious. "Do you think you can live your life…without Petra in it?"

Rocket furrows his eyebrows at him disturbingly, disliking the entire question. Hating how confused it made him. He hated being confused.

Rocket sighed tiredly, falling back into the chair as Groot and Drax waited patiently for a reply, even though Groot couldn't understand much.

Eventually, Rocket's mind began to wonder at said answer, and said question.

Could he?

Petra.

What was she to him?

…

…Everything…

She was the only person on this ship that had managed to keep him sane so far, after everything that had happened, everything that was still happening.

He'd look at her, and forget all that had caused him pain. His past. Losing Groot. Coping with a new life he had zero experience in. Friends, family, children. Things he never thought he'd ever be ready for, things he thought he wasn't worth having,

things he feared breaking.

But not with her.

Never with her.

…

…Never **without** her…

"…No…I can't…" he breathed solely, chest heavy.

And at that, he couldn't help the question: Was this love?

But Drax already knew the answer, but he didn't say, instead, he pushed Rocket in the direction, to make this work.

"You should talk to Peter," he told.

Rocket sighed for the umpteenth time upon hearing that.

"Yeah. I figured you'd say something like that," he uttered, then stopped for a second, then pushed off and got up. "Might as well get it over with," he said, heading towards the bedrooms, leaving Groot and Drax behind.

Rocket entered his room first. There was something that had popped in his head upon hearing that Petra was to head in alone, something he knew she had to have. Since him and Peter were at odds, he was hoping he could tip those odds in his favor with what he had to show.

After taking what he needed, he walked back into the kitchen, where Drax and Groot were watching intently. He then climbed the ladder up to Peter.

This should be good.


	33. 32: Truths

"Hey," Rocket calls, walking up to Peter. Peter turns to comply, then, seeing it was Rocket, looks onwards without a word.

Ouch!

Rocket takes an encouraging breath. He just had to do this.

On his way up, he'd been thinking about what to say. He had it summed up, and was gonna try to go into details as he spoke. He really did suck at talking. But the air had to clear, or he was gonna lose it.

He walked up next to Peter, who had his arms crossed. Rocket subconsciously mimicked his tense gesture, ears pulled back and tail twitching uncomfortably. "So," he starts, somewhat wincing at the start of something sure to be difficult, "this is awkward," he finishes, again, wincing at how stupid that sounded.

From beside him, Peter scoffs, making Rocket look curiously. " **Awkward** is an understatement," he utters sarcastically, honestly making Rocket smirk. At least he still had his sense of humor. That was sure to bode well, right?

They were always like this, though. Joking, making fun of each other. It brought back the air of playfulness between them, and just then, they'd realized how much they'd missed it, even for a few hours.

The Guardians truly had no clue, just how important they'd become for one another.

From the corner of his eyes, Peter smirked too.

He wanted to hear what Rocket had to say, hoping he could actually convince him. He wanted to be convinced.

"Listen, Quill," Rocket started, and Peter listened indeed, "I know, you think…this'll never work out," he told, it hitting them both hard. "Believe me, neither do I," he told honestly, making Peter turn at his tone, a tone he'd never used before. Honest. Hurt.

 _'Damn,'_ Peter thought. "But," Rocket resumed, furrowing his eyebrows in an attempt to gather his scattered thoughts, "I'm more worried about what would happen, if we don't try."

At that, Peter inhaled tiredly. His sister was stubborn, he knew that much, even if she didn't show it often. If he deprived her of what she wanted, especially if she thought it wasn't wrong and would cause no harm, then she'd do it, just to prove him wrong. So, yes. Not trying would breed hell on the Milano.

However, for Rocket. If he couldn't have her, if he was to spent the rest of his life this close to her, but never close enough…he wouldn't be able to take it.

He would most definitely pack up, and leave.

Peter didn't get that.

And so, Rocket had to try.

"I know I'm no one's first choice," he said, guilt-striking Peter. They all knew about Rocket's insecurities, but coming from himself was different, **more** painful. "But…I would do anything to make her happy, to keep her safe," he assured firmly, refusing to look Peter in the eye as the Quill eyed him intently.

For so long those feelings had been bottled up, Peter had no idea how hard this conversation alone was for Rocket. "I guess…What I'm trying to say is..."

Rocket turned to Peter at last. "I'm hoping…you'd give me a chance."

…

And at that,

Peter broke into a wide smile, one that set Rocket's hammering heart at ease.

"Of course, I'll give you a chance," he told.

The amount of relief both men felt at that moment left them in a state of joyful laughter.

It soon died down, the look in Rocket's eyes was one of gratitude, and Peter's was one of excitement for the passing of a storm.

Rocket was then reminded by something. "Oh, and…uh, I almost forgot." He dug into his pocket and pulled out what looked to be a necklace. Long, with a black, rubber neck-band, and a metallic pendant. He handed it out to Peter, who took it and studied it in confusion. Rocket explained. "There's a nano-cam implanted in the pendant. You should give it to Petra before she heads out, so we can keep an eye on her," he told.

Peter's features relaxed. He then shook his head softly, handing it back to him. Now it was Rocket's turn to get confused. " **You** should give it to her," Peter told. Rocket took it back, still perplexed.  
"Why?" he asked. Peter rolled his eyes at the question, forgetting that Rocket had never been in any form of a relationship.  
"Because girls like it when guys give them pretty, protective necklaces," he explained tiredly, just then realizing that this probably wasn't the last time Rocket was gonna ask him for uncomfortable relationship advice.

Rocket smirked upon hearing this, liking the thought of the look on her face when he'd give it to her. "Go, before I change my mind," Peter told, only half-joking.  
"Yeah, okay," Rocket complied heading off. He then turned last minute. "You rock, Quill," he winked, heading off, making Peter grin happily.

* * *

 _A few minutes ago_

Petra was scouring her closet for something…well, slutty, to wear. It was, unfortunately, the most efficient and quickest way to get information out of pig-ish men. She also needed a wig, and a heck-load of make-up. Security measure, right?

However, she couldn't, for the life of her, stay concentrated. You'd think she'd be dwelling on her brother problem, but that wasn't it.

 _'_ _OH MY GOD! I KISSED ROCKET!'_ she thought.

She heard a knock on her door and nearly jumped, as if she'd suddenly been caught. _'Jesus, calm down!'_ she thought. "Who is it?"

"It's Gamora," the door answered. Petra quickly went to open it, then, just as quickly stepped away from it, eyeing all around her nervously.

"Are you alright?" Gamora asked, shutting the door, assuming Petra was probably worked up because of her sibling.

Petra then turned to Gamora, a wild look in her eyes, almost grinning. "I kissed Rocket!" she suddenly said.

Gamora froze in spot. She froze in spot.

Then,

they both broke into a fit of laughter. Petra first, then Gamora.

They weren't even sure why they were laughing. Maybe it was because, after everything that had just happened, they **kissed**! That was the **last** thing anyone expected, even them.

"W-When?" Gamora raised her arms.  
"Right after-" Petra tried replying, but ended up laughing again, "right after Peter left the room!" she exclaimed, laughing again, making Gamora laugh as well. It was **beyond** ironic!

"How?" the Zen-Whoberi asked after catching her breath. She was both shocked and confused.  
"I don't know, Gamora! But it **happened**. And I-" she put her hands around her mouth, grinning like crazy, "Oh, my god! I've never been happier!" she exclaimed.

Gamora's features softened. It was a beautiful sight to witness. Gamora may not have known much sentiment in her life, so she didn't know for sure, but this had to be it.

This had to be love.

Gamora then snapped back, noting something quite serious. Petra was beyond distracted. She shook her head softly, approaching her lightly.

Gamora took hold of Petra's shoulders. "Okay, Petra. Listen to me. You need to focus, okay?" she nodded, Petra nodded as well, her mind slowly processing the Zen-Whoberi's words. "I'll help. Tell me what you need."

* * *

 _A few minutes later_

Rocket knocked on her door. Gamora opened it and, upon seeing him, broke into a smile.

Things were looking up.

She pointed with her head inside, then walked away and out of the room, leaving Rocket at the threshold and Petra inside, wearing a very peculiar-looking, short, yellow, strapped dress that was showing more than it should. She still hadn't applied the wig and make-up, so it was just her in the dress,

and it left Rocket breathless.

"Wow!" he breathed, making her heat up and look to the ground, biting her lip nervously, a gesture that made his knees go weak as she pushed her hair behind her ear.

Rocket was drawn into the room as if by magic. He closed the door behind him and took small steps towards her, as if not believing his eyes.

He nears, till they're inches apart. He tilted her chin up, just wanting to watch her eyes glow, making her breath catch in her throat as he eyed her in a way that made her heart stop beating.

She then felt something hit the edge of her fingers, from his other hand. She subconsciously held onto it, what felt leather-like and long, like a thread. "What's that?" she asked curiously. He pulled back, smirking.

He held the necklace slightly up, "This…" he handed it to her, "is a nano-cam. So we can monitor your movements. You know. Make sure you're okay," he explained as she studied it.

Upon hearing the words (monitor your movements) however, she was alert. She chuckled nervously which confused him slightly. "I'm not sure you guys wanna do that," she uttered. Now he was purely confused, **and** concerned. She looked up and could see it on his face, so she explained, quite uncomfortably at that. "In order to… **convince** , men like our target, I have to use **certain methods** that include…flirting. Something I'm sure you guys would less than appreciate **watching**."

And at that, Rocket winces, wondering how stupid he was for not seeing it. He took a few steps back. _'This is a_ ** _terrible_** _plan!'_ he thought. "Seriously?!" he slightly yelled. She was afraid this would happen. "As if it isn't enough you're going out there **alone**?! Do you have any idea what runs in the minds of men like him?!"  
"Rock-"  
"To see, someone like **you** , in something like **that**!" he aims at the dress.

Petra rushes forward, taking his hands in hers. "Rocket!" she calls, a wave of calm washing over him as he felt her hands around his. "I've done this **before**. I can take care of myself!" she assured firmly. However, it does little to ease his traitorous thoughts. "Please trust me," she requested softly, and at that, his excited features calmed as well, and he exhaled.

Petra smiled knowingly. She could get used to this kind of attention, to **Rocket's** attention, but there were still limits. She looked at the necklace. Maybe she could tone the flirting down, if it would make him feel better. She looked back at the necklace in her palm. "Help me put it on," she smiled, making his own form.

He accepted it from her as she turned and pulled her hair up. Rocket placed it around her neck and attempted to lock it lightly, accidently brushing the skin on her neck with his fingers, making her close her eyes at wander of more, suppressing a moan.

But Rocket could hear her heart quite clearly, growing a smirk across his face.

But not now, like, at all. So, he decided to flip off their current desires, by distracting both of them with something else.

"So," he started, snapping her out of it, "I talked to your brother," he noted, pulling back as she let her hair fall, eyeing him wide-eyed. She'd almost forgotten about the whole Peter problem.  
"Really?" she questioned.  
"Mmhm."  
"How'd go?"  
"Well…it didn't **completely** suck."  
"So…he's… **okay** now?"  
"Yep."  
"Wow!" she chuckled in both relief and disbelief. "So he didn't try shooting you again. Or, maybe, retaliating that punch?" she grinned, embarrassing her furry lover.  
"It was an accident!" he called, grinning as well, making her chuckle. "Besides. He had it coming!"  
"Yeah, he did," she laughed, throwing her arms around Rocket's neck.

Rocket had his mouth shut, eyeing her in denial, cursing the doubts that continually arose. "This is crazy," he whispered, his breath tickling her cheeks. Petra shook her head firmly.  
"No….

…It's worth it."

(Warning! Mature scene ahead.)

Neither could recall who started it, but their lips ended up locked firmly against each other.

Rocket had no clue how to act, but, as if on instinct, his body acted for him. He pulled her closely against him, and she did not resist, welcoming the warmth of him.

Their lips swayed together in unfamiliarity, yet, they fit like puzzle pieces. The kiss grew rougher, more passionate. It wasn't enough.

Petra had the fur on the back of his head balled in a fist from intensity, as he had one hand pressed firmly against her back, and the other beneath her head.

Rocket wasn't aware how much his strength had grown, surprising both of them as he pushed her back against her desk.

She picked up pace, breaking the kiss only to climb and sit on the desk. She then pulled him to her once more by the collar, a wild look in her eyes that he had never seen before, one that drove him mad, and he began to feel things he'd never felt before.

As their lips locked for the second time, warm, and wet, his hands found support on the desk's metallic surface, and rest on her soft, bare thigh, caressing it, causing her to moan yearningly against his lips, igniting a fire in his chest as he started to purr, which only fed into her passion as she realized being with him was going to be purely different from anything she'd ever experienced before.

The sneaky red-head then slipped her tongue between his lips, feeling his sharper teeth set, and meeting his own tongue graciously. He felt himself go crazy when they made contact, hesitating at first.

But, being a quick learner, Rocket toyed back with her tongue, as he felt her do to his, caressing it, and going over every inch of her mouth, causing her to moan intensely once more.

She could taste strawberry toothpaste on him, the one they all used, and she smiled. His tongue was taller, rougher slightly, a fact that only succeeded in turning her further on as she thought of what else it could do.

Rocket's ears then perked up. He could hear Peter's voice, but could barely comprehend a word. Then he felt Petra's hand slide down to his belt, however, he quickly snatched it, gently still, breaking the kiss.

(Mature scene has ended :))

Not only was he beyond concerned about going any further, but her brother was **right** outside, and they should be too for the mission.

"Naughty girl," he groaned, inches apart, making her grin excitedly, him grinning back. "Your brother's right outside, and there's a mission that needs making. Now, as much as I would **hate** for this to end, peaches. It kinda has to," he explained miserably.  
"For now," she cocked a mischievous eyebrow, causing his heart to jump with excitement.

She then gave him a light, playful shove to the chest. "Now, go. I'll be out in five," she told.

He walked back, winking before opening the door, leaving, then closing it behind him. She jumped up when he left, squealing quietly to herself.

But he heard, and it made him chuckle in amusement.

"What's so funny?" Peter asked when Rocket appeared out of the room.

Rocket froze for a second. He'd just convinced Peter to give him a chance, he didn't need to push. "Nothing. She'll be out in five," he told casually, walking off as Peter cocked a suspicious eyebrow.

Then, he sighed.

He accepted this. Now, he has to live with it.


	34. 33: Go Low

"So, how do I look?" Petra asked, appearing out of the room with the dress, the platinum-blonde wig with purple ends, and the creepy make-up.

The others stood across her, different expressions on each face. Peter looked uncomfortable. Rocket was hiding a smirk, poorly at that, Gamora was smiling at their reactions, especially Drax's, who looked utterly disgusted.

"You look hideous!" he exclaims, not liking the new Petra at all. They all simultaneously turn to him, confused and amused.  
"Thanks, Drax," she retorts in sarcasm.  
"It'll do," Peter nods, still disturbed, but as said, this wasn't her first time.

Rocket decided on staying quite, cause, if he spoke his mind, Peter would lend him a nice hefty punch to the face. "Alright, then. Let's go," Gamora told.

The Guardians took several steps to insure their success. They parked the Milano some ways from Jax's apartment, not the bar itself. They then covered it with a large, brown, slightly ragged sheet.

Each of them guised themselves in one way or another. Hats, jackets, coats, etc. Including Petra, she was to come out only when at the bar.

They moved separately throughout the streets, communicating with ear-pieces. Petra hid hers within her hair. It wasn't that obvious anyways.

They entered the apartment one by one, minute difference. Rocket set up the computer, and Gamora was adding the final touches to Petra's outfit.

As they were readying, Peter spoke up. "Alright, guys. Here's how its gonna go. Petra. You'll go in. Identify the target. Find out what you can without raising suspicions," he tells. She nods confidently. Rocket is still hesitant. "We'll be watching you from here. So, if anything goes wrong, we'll know, and we'll be there before you know it. Any questions?"  
"Yes. Why does this thing taste like feet?" Drax asks, pointing at a soda can in his hand, making everyone face-palm.  
"Oh my god…" Gamora utters tiredly as Petra smirks.  
"Because it's probably expired, you idiot! You tryin' to get food poisoning?!" Rocket scolds as if speaking to a child.  
"I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS EXPIRED!" Drax shouts angrily.  
"I AM GROOT. (I LIKE CHOCOLATE!)" Groot screams, making Rocket turn to him in utter confusion.  
"OKAY!" Peter yells quickly, making everyone shut up. "I swear; you guys are gonna drive me crazy one day," he tells, making them smirk at the thought. "Petra. You're up."

* * *

Petra walked two blocks from the apartment towards the bar, in the full disguise, getting several unsettling looks from the surrounding men, looks the others could see too, but she ignored.

"This is a shit idea!" Rocket tells irritably from in front of the computer screen, grimacing fearfully, and furiously. Peter, now more knowledgeable, begins to see Rocket's usual reactions a different, more Petra-related way.  
"I'm tired of waiting!" Drax says. They turn to him in annoyance, Rocket getting trigger-itchy.  
"It's only been two minutes!" Peter exclaims. Drax rolls his eyes at him. They hear Rocket mumbling as he turned back to screen, tail twitching and ears pulled back.

Gamora finds it best to pull Rocket out of the closed environment, to ease his tensions and insure his mind was clear and focused. She walks over to him and pats his shoulder, smiling calmly. He turns to her curiously, as does Peter. "Come with me," she says, walking off.

Rocket hesitantly followed, unsure what she wanted. Peter would have followed too, but he wasn't stupid. He knew what she was doing, so he let them be.

"Awaken me when there are asses that need beating." Drax tells Peter, straightening on the couch and lying down. Peter rolls his eyes and sits in front of the screen.

* * *

 _At the bar_

At the bar, Petra finds the man they'd been tracking. She clicks the earpiece, then whispers, "I spy," code for 'eyes on target'.  
 _"Copy that,"_ Peter replies.  
 _"Be careful, Red,"_ Rocket tells, making her smile, Peter too, who could hear them through the coms everyone but Groot had. _'Yeah. Good choice,'_ Peter thought, regarding the Rocket situation.

Petra then attempts to build up more confidence, getting second thoughts. She plasters a smirk on her face, and begins to walk funny, like the rest of the 'women' around her, doing her best to fit in, in the cramped, dimly-lit bar. Petra then approaches her target, who is seated at the front, on a stool, downing a jug of beer.

She seats herself on the adjacent, thankfully empty stool. She leans on the counter, and pretends not to notice him at first, but she knows he's checking her out from bottom to top. Win!

Petra orders a drink, and eyes him with the corner of her eye, smirks, then faces him, wearing a mask of a local resident. "You're not from around here, are you?" she asks slyly.

Since she didn't click the earpiece before speaking, the only person that could hear her was her brother by the computer, that a mini microphone was connected to wirelessly, somewhere on Petra's figure, out of sight.

The guy mimics Petra's posture, and replies to her question with interest. "I'm not." She cocks a seductive eyebrow.  
"Where are you from, then?"  
"Some place far," he grins.  
"Ooh. Shady," she utters, biting her lip attractively.

If someone knew Petra well, they'd never guess this was part of her skill set, but when with the Ravagers, she'd picked up a lot of things. The kind of jobs they were sent to do, she had the looks, and learned the skills, with time, some tips from Peter himself, and several failed missions.

She never liked it though, but she did like the money. She also never went further than flirting, and, possibly making out, but that was long before. There was no way she'd take it that far nowadays. It wouldn't feel right. For one, sole, reason. A reason she was hoping wasn't in front of that computer screen right now. She knew he was insecure. She didn't want to feed into it.

* * *

 _At the apartment_

"Way to lay it on thick, sis," Peter utter irritably, hiding a slightly proud smirk. His eyes then catch sight of Groot near the screen, watching curiously. _'Uh, oh,'_ Peter thinks, assuming what his sister was doing probably wasn't child appropriate.

"Hey, Groot," he calls, digging into his front pocket, pulling out a tiny toy soldier, slightly shorter than Groot himself. Groot eyes it curiously as Peter hands it to him. "Why don't you take general Ford, and march to battle, on the floor!" he tells excitedly, Groot nodding just as happily.  
"I am Groot!" Groot yells, snatching it and jumping off the desk.

...

...

"MY SANDWICH!"

Peter jumps out of his seat at the voice, only to find it was Drax, sleep-talking, well, yelling. "…my sandwich…" he repeats, resuming his snoring, making a much worked up Groot roll his eyes irritably, imaging throwing down a few punches. Peter sighs tiredly, reverting himself to the screen once more.

* * *

"So. I hear you patched things up with Peter," says Gamora to Rocket, who had his arms crossed uncomfortably, watching the crowds move half-heartedly.

He turns to her, and sees the knowing smirk on her face, as if she held information she wasn't supposed to know, and was trying to tease him with it. In truth, she was just trying to keep him distracted, calm his nerves, but he didn't know that.

"I hear you're still denying your feelings for Peter," he retorts, smirking victoriously. Gamora furrows her eyebrows, heart jumping at the mention of a topic she struggled with. Of course, he heard the jump. Heightened hearing and what not.  
"What?" she asks.  
"Come on, G. You can't hide 'em forever…God knows I couldn't…" he tells, taking a serious turn suddenly.

Gamora's attempts at further denial disappeared,

and in that same second, their level of friendship, had evolved.

Gamora felt that she could talk to him. His honesty helped increase that feeling.

"It's…complicated," she told truthfully. Rocket turns, and smiles at her, getting the same feeling, he chuckled slightly at her reply.  
"Me and Petra are **complicated**. You and Peter are clear as day, tots," he told.

Gamora stayed her silence, heart beat increasing. She never thought much about her and Peter. Now that Rocket was basically forcing it, she was panicking internally somewhat.

Realization came upon Rocket. The look on her face, was a look he held each day in front of the mirror. The fear. The panic.

Guess they weren't so different after all.

* * *

 _At the bar_

"Hey, Derek," one of Rod's mercenaries, Owen, calls his friend.  
"What?" his friend replied, both seated on a booth in the bar, several drinks on their table.  
"Who's that with A.J?" he asks.

Derek looks to see a woman laughing up with A.J, running her hand up his arm. "Don't know. Don't care," he replies carelessly.  
"Don't she look familiar."  
"Nope."  
"...I'ma call it in."  
"Dude! Let the man have his fun."  
"I just gotta bad feelin'. I'll be quick."

* * *

Another laugh emits from Petra at the super ridicules joke the pig in front of her made, him laughing along.

Then, all of a sudden he stops, turning away for a moment, staring at a spot on the counter. Petra furrows her eyebrows in concern. "You okay?" she asks worriedly. He turns back to her quickly.  
"Huh? Yeah. All good…I was just…remembering that I had one of those artifacts with me," he replied. She cocked an interested eyebrow.

What he said had also caught her very bored brother's interest too. "Really?" she inquires casually.  
"Yeah. Yeah. It's this…pyramid-shaped thing. No idea what it does. But it looks all mystical. Wanna see it?" he asks.

But she could tell, there was something off in his tone. Peter too. Still. The pyramid. It was **their** artifact. Theirs!

Petra trusted the guys. She knew she was protected, so, she played along, in hopes of winning something out of this other than a long, uncomfortable night. "Sure," she said, nodding.

Peter was beyond wary now. He knew what she was thinking. But, he also thought it was an extremely stupid, reckless, and dangerous move, something he definitely would have done, but for some reason, it was okay for him to screw up, get caught up in fire, but not her. Not Petra.

* * *

 _At the apartment_

Rocket eyes Gamora seriously. "Look, Gamora. I'm gonna lend you a tip," he started. She turned to him, listening curiously. "People like us…We don't get many chances in life. It's hard. Believe me, I know. But…once you get past the hard part, you find something you never thought you'd have…I guess…What I'm trying to say is, take your chance…You might not get another," he explained.

Gamora had never heard him speak seriously for once. Speak calmly. She admired it. She was grateful for it.

His words felt deep. She processed them slowly, and eventually, found that he was right. It helped more, seeing now, that the two of them really weren't so different.

A crappy past. A lack of empathy and compassion in both lives. A group of loving friends now. And people that actually cared for them. It was new, for both of them. Difficult to adjust. Difficult to accept. Accept that the pain was gone. That the past, was far behind them.

But Rocket was right, looking past the hard part, she could see a light in her life she found hard to appreciate. Maybe someday.

 _"_ _Guys! Petra is on the move! I need eyes on! NOW!"_ Peter calls through the coms. Rocket and Gamora share one freaking-out look, then, zoom towards the bar.

"Drax! Wake the fuck up!" Peter shoves Drax on the couch. He snaps his eyes open warily, super confused. "We gotta move. Come on!" he shouts hastily, scooping Groot and the army man into his pocket, then shutting the computer screen and throwing the computer belt over his shoulder as Drax rushed to his feet.


	35. 34: Uh, Oh!

"So, where are we going?" Petra asks her strangely-acting target.  
"Uhh. To my place," he answers uncertainly. Petra begins to suspect the situation as it was,

a trap.

But, she also knows she's being followed.

"You live here?" she asks in feigned disgust as they head out to a darker alley.  
"No. Rented for the night," he plays along, unlocking a crumbling wooden door.

Before heading in, Petra glances behind her. Nothing yet, but she knows they're close. And if they weren't, she came prepared. Her dress was easy to open from the side, where she'd strapped a dagger near her thigh. It shouldn't be too hard to bring out should things go sideways.

Following after her target, Petra wishes with all her heart that the artifact really was in there. They could really use a pick-me-up.

Petra stops at the end of the corridor, to a cramped, mostly abandoned-looking room.

Yep, definitely a trap.

Before being able to react, Petra was shoved into the nearest wall, pushing air out of her lungs. Pain shoots all over her back, and her vision blurs slightly. "Think I don't know who you are?! Hmm?!" he spits at her.

Adrenaline rushing through, Petra was about to retaliate. Then, a **fist** was sent flying into the man's side-face, and she could have sworn she heard bones break.

Shocked, Petra turns to see Rocket looking down at the man furiously, Gamora by his side with her sword pulled out.

"Hands off, shit-bag!" he spat, Petra cocking an eyebrow at his tone, a tone that turned her on, **extremely**.

The man is dazed, groaning in pain. Gamora doesn't give him the chance to look up, knocking him out with the hilt of her sword.

Rocket turns to Petra furiously. "Red! What the hell were you thinking?! Following this ass-hole?!" he asks.  
"I was thinking; you guys were right behind me. And I was right," she states honestly. Rocket was not satisfied.

Gamora's vision averts from the arguing couple, to a flash, in the dark, at the far end of the room, soon to be discovered

as a **gun**.

Speaking no words, Gamora throws herself onto Rocket, who in turn, falls onto Petra, but, reflex-wise, insures she lands safely.

A second later, several guns were fired at their position. Rocket curses irritably under his breath, pulling out his mini-gun, and Gamora hers.

He turns to the Quill beside him, as aware as he was. Rocket notes her now bare thigh, the strap that was pulled around it, and the dagger in her hand. It takes him a second to avert his focus from her thigh and regain concentration, realizing her choice of weaponry was more than useless in their current situation.

Rocket pulls out another gun and hands it to her. She nods in thanks. The Guardians attempt to determine how many adversaries there were in the room. Where they were. Why it was so dark, though that wasn't much of a problem for Rocket.

One thing was evident though. Rod was not with them. So, where was he?

The three were hiding behind a couch, in the middle of the room. In order to get to the door, they would have to avoid getting shot, and that was far from easy.

Then, their rescue party arrived. Peter and Drax appeared from said door. Noting the situation, Peter thinks fast. From his belt, he grabs a smoke-grenade. Peter looks cautiously. When it was safe, he moved out, his friends noting him just then as he threw the grenade at the mercenaries, who continued firing shots furiously as gas filled the room.

"Come on!" he shouts at his friends.

The three follow after him. "Where's Groot?!" asks Rocket as they head out.  
"In my pocket!" yells Peter.

The Guardians set off into the streets. The friends spot up to three armed mercenaries, pointing at them within the far crowd.

They turn simultaneously, only to find four others.

There was only one way to resolve this. "Split! Split!" orders Peter.

The Guardians comply. Rocket heads out with Petra. Peter with Drax, as he was closest to him. And Gamora alone.

Evading their numerous attackers was far from an easy task. Pushing past multiple people, the Guardians play a game of 'shoot or be shot' with the enemy, whilst doing their best to keep the fire range away from the surrounding roamers, and attempting to figure out the best course of action to take.

Rocket ducks down as a shot passed an inch above his ear, grateful he'd heard it coming. "Why you little!" he grumbles as the red-head beside him ran and occasionally looked back to shoot.

Rocket pulls out a mini-machine-gun strapped to his back, halting his steps and turning to his chasers.

"OUT OF THE WAY!" yells Petra at the people around.  
"AHHHAHGGGHAHGHGG!" shouts a half-frustrated-half-excited Rocket as he rained hell on those behind, taking down up to three till the rest acknowledged the situation and hid.

"Come on!" says Petra, grasping his arm and storming off.

Thinking it was over, the two aim way back to the Milano, only to be ambushed by at least eight more mercenaries. Four up front, three on side, and one on other, along with the three still behind them.

Rocket and Petra stand back to back, highly wary. However, rescue arrives.

Flying from above, a few streets away, Peter blasts at two of those stood against them, then turns back to Drax on the ground, fighting their own numbers.

Gamora appears as well, having eliminated her adversaries and available for help, jumping down from a nearby roof. She drives down, burying her sword deep into a mercenary's back, an instant kill. The man next to the mercenary freaks. He rushes to retaliate, but, unfortunately for him, Gamora's other hand was free, easily silencing him with a flying dagger to the throat as Rocket and Petra built up an impenetrable circle of speeding bullets.

Having taken down enough for a clear path, the three, Gamora, Petra, and Rocket, resume their exhaust-inducing escape.

Coincidently, Petra catches a glimpse of a sniper on a roof, aiming at them!

Gamora was far enough, but her and Rocket were right on sight, and the man seemed to specifically aim at Rocket, considering he was the crazy one with the death-impending machine-gun!

Panicking,

Petra acts on instinct,

and pushes Rocket to the side,

just as the man let a shot loose,

and it hit **her**.

Recovering from the fall behind a few crates, Rocket feels a movement on his side, and looks to see Petra,

and **blood**.

Rocket's heart races in fear, and mind jumps to action. He takes hold of her, she winces slightly as, from across them, Gamora made way to deal with the sniper.

Rocket looks his girl over. He breathes in relief once discovering it was only a shoulder wound, in and out. Still, pretty deep. She wouldn't be able to hold her ground.

Clicking the coms, Rocket speaks in. "Quill! Petra got shot," he says.  
" _WHAT?!_ "  
"Just the shoulder, but it's deep. I'm taking her back to the ship," he explains in haste.  
" _I got your back_ ," calls through Gamora.  
" _Stay safe, my friends!_ " yells Drax.

* * *

"Are they safe?!" Peter asks Gamora, who had just appeared by his side.  
"Yeah. Where's Drax?" she asks.  
"Uhh. Over there. Give him a hand, I got it here," he tells, rising from behind the metallic shop-stand, and shooting down some more.

Gamora hastes out, as fast as the wind, she slices her way through two or three, to Drax. He was still pretty far, surrounded by at least six, when four more jumped her.

Gamora's concentration wavers when she sees Drax get hit

and fall to his knees,

then to be knocked out cold from the back of his head.

The mercenaries immediately utilize her moment of distraction, and give her a hefty punch to the gut, and one to the side. She grasps the arm of the third man wrathfully, twisting it vigorously till it broke.

The sound of a reeving ship catches her attention,

and her **fear** ,

when she'd come to discover it **wasn't** the Milano.

Gamora fights in struggle to get the mercenaries off of her as she witnesses Drax get pulled into the ship that threatened to leave with him on board.

Peter jumps in to help her, only to find the ship flying off hurriedly. "NOOO!" shouts Gamora. The Quill too had seen the Destroyer get pulled in.

Having dealt with Gamora's adversaries, Peter hastily pulls at the Zen-Whoberi when he catches sight of more approaching mercenaries from afar.

"Gamora! We have to go!" he shouts as she rooted in spot, tears flashing her eyes.

Peter's sight caught on to…Was that Groot?! Hurrying towards him on the floor. Having no time for an explanation, Peter scoops Groot back up, and flees with Gamora forcefully.


	36. 35: Words

" _Guys, we're coming back…_

 _they got Drax…_ "

utters Peter through the coms. The two tense and stop upon hearing this, hearts sinking.  
"Oh god…" breathes Petra, who was leaning on Rocket, having just entered the Milano.

Rocket then pushes out of it, leading Petra to the lower deck, where most of their medical equipment lied, along with a bunch of weapons and scrap.

* * *

The three, Gamora, Peter, and Groot, enter the Milano as well. In the kitchen, Peter places Groot on the table, then turns to Gamora, who was awfully silent, seeming as if she would explode. This concerned him.

"Hey, are you okay?" Peter asks softly.

Gamora does not reply, standing firmly with her arms crossed and face to the side.

"Hey," calls Peter quietly, pulling at her chin gently to meet her eyes, only to find them shimmering in tears. He furrows his eyebrows, feeling his heart crack at the sight of her this way, a look he'd never seen.  
"It's my fault," she uttered sorrowfully. "I never should have suggested we go after them. I…I."  
"Hey, hey. Come here," tells Peter, pulling her into his arms, rubbing up and down her shoulder as she cried silently into his chest.

Drax wasn't just one of their closest, most loyal, of friends,

he was family.

Real family, for them at least.

The group had had each other's backs for months, shared moments they'd never experienced in their entire lives.

To lose a member, was to lose a piece of themselves, it felt **awful**. They each blamed themselves, especially Gamora.

But Peter wouldn't have her doing this to herself. "This wasn't your fault, G. We never could have guessed this would happen," he says. Peter feels her shake her head slowly. He pulls back. "Hey, look at me." She does so reluctantly. God, he hated seeing her this way. "We're getting him back. I promise," he stressed.

Gamora could see he was genuine, acknowledged the determination in his eyes, and truth in his tone.

There was a reason they always followed his lead. Gamora smiled slightly, subconsciously playing Rocket's earlier words in her head.

He was right. She had to say something to the Quill, about how she felt. About how he made her feel.

Soon, but not yet.

* * *

Downstairs, Rocket had silently patched Petra's wound up. The whole time, she'd studied his troubled expression curiously, beginning to question the reason behind it.

When Rocket walks off to a nearby table, packing the equipment up, she asks. "I wanna say you're mad because we lost Drax, but I'm not so sure," she says.

Rocket halts his movement, looking up into the ceiling, and exhaling tiredly. "Why'd you do it, Petra?" he asks suddenly.

Petra's eyes go wide. He'd never use her real name unless he was serious,

and angry.

Having been weighing reasons already, Petra found only one explanation to his question. "You mean, saving your ass?" she smiles slightly, as if wondering how he would even ask.

But then

she sees it.

Petra squints her eyes. "You still think you're not worth it, don't you?" she asks in disbelief.  
"You could have died, goddamn it!" he shouts, turning to her furiously.  
"So! You would have done it for me!" she tells, pushing off the table and to her feet.  
"Of course I would! But-"  
"But what? I **can't** , for some reason!"  
"Yes! I mean **no**!

Not for **me**!" he states, face falling.

Petra pierces her lips, studying his expression in disappointment.

" **Which** you, Rocket?"

she asks, crossing her arms. He turns to her in confusion. "The monstrous beast that shouldn't exist?

The **mistake**?!"

she spits, her words cold and pointed,

but in his mind, fairly true.

"That's the version of you, that **you** see! But…

Do you wanna know who

The You I See

Is?

I see a smart, strong man.

I see a guy who cares about his friends…

who cares about **me** ,"

she smiles. His heart aches at her words, and eyes tear up.

"I see a **father** , who loves his son," the Quill-girl utters, voice breaking as her own heart raced with every word, feeling an overwhelming amount

of a **certain** emotion towards him.

"I see…

my **best friend**.

Who I've laughed, and built, and **cried** with."

...

But it was clear then.

...

"I see…

the man…

I fell in love with."

Rocket's eyes widen, his mouth falls agape and heart hammers.

The red-head laughs out, inching closer and taking hold of his face. "I love you, Rocket," she tells more firmly.

Rocket lets out a breath he was holding upon hearing it again. He laughs out too, eyeing her yearningly.

…

"I've

 **always**

loved you, Petra Quill,"

he told just as firmly, and just as honestly.

She grins joyfully, heart flying crazy.

Unable to hold back the rush of mad emotions, he pushes forward, crashing his lips into hers, and placing his arms around her needing-ly as both let release their poorly held back tears of joy, and pain, all at once.

Only when out of breath did they pull apart, but close. The two gazed into one another's eyes almost disbelievingly.

But it was real.

The two sigh as if in relief, resting their foreheads on each other's.

And after a full minute of just each other's much needed company, Petra speaks. "Let's go get our friend back," she smiles encouragingly.  
"Hell yeah."

* * *

Rocket and Petra come up to see Peter scrunching his eyebrows at Groot. "Big? Plane?!" the Quill questions in confusion as Groot attempted gestures at him hastily.  
"What's going on?" asks Rocket.  
"Groot's trying to tell us something," Gamora replies.

Groot turns at Rocket's voice. "I am Groot! (Finally!)" he exclaims. Rocket steps towards him.  
"What is it, twigs?" he asks, Petra smiling proudly at him from behind, feeling an incredible amount of joy, and hope.  
"I am Groot. (I know why they took uncle Drax!)" Groot says. Rocket's eyes widen slightly.  
"What's he saying?" asks Peter eagerly.  
"He says he knows why they took Drax," Rocket explains seriously, the others are just as shocked.  
"I am Groot. (The big, ugly one told his slaves to take uncle Drax! Because he said that uncle Drax went to Exander before and that he knows how to get into Nopa!)"  
"What's he **saying**?!" exclaims Peter impatiently. Rocket glares at him irritably.  
"He's **saying** that they **took** the big idiot because he knows how to get into Nova HQ? What the heck does that mean?!" Rocket asks.  
"It means…

they want in.

Why?" offers Gamora.

"And they think **Drax** can help?!" exclaims Rocket.  
"So…they're headed to Xander," says Petra.  
"Seems like it," Peter says.  
"Who the **hell** are these people?!" asks Rocket.  
"You think Nova might know?" offers Petra.  
"If they do know something, finding Drax would be a lot easier. Either way…

we're headed to Xander," says Peter.


	37. 36: Secrets

"Okay! Let's do this!" shouts Rocket excitedly. The others furrow their eyebrows at his tone, but the Quill-girl knowingly grins to herself. "Okay! Quill! Man the ship! The rest of you, with me!" Rocket then scoops up Groot onto his shoulder. He claps loudly. "Let's get this show on the road!" jogging off.

Out of sight, Peter and Gamora are awfully confused. Then, Peter turns to Petra suspiciously. "What did you do?" he asks. She laughs out at his reaction, walking away as well. "Hey!" he yells after her, but she's gone. "She just ignored me!" he complains to Gamora.

The Zen-Whoberi pats his shoulder with an amused smirk. "Come on, captain," she tells, following after the red-head.

Peter stands still for a minute. "Captain?" he utters, perplexed, an expression that quickly transforms to a content smirk. Were things finally moving forward between them?

Wow! Family crisis can really bring a lot out of people.

* * *

"Okay, G. Me and…Red," he turns to her, smirking for unknown causes that only she picked up, a smile seemingly permanently plastered on her face by his presence, especially after the confession, that Gamora was non-the-wiser about, but was close to figuring it out, "made you something."

Rocket picks up a sword from the table behind, also in the lower deck. He hands it to her. She holds the sturdy hilt, brushing her fingers past its long, sharp blade, with space in between for extra damage. She smirks.

"That's not all," says Petra, approaching her friend. Gamora raises the sword to her sight as the Quill eyes around for a button, and Rocket just stands there, checking Petra out from top to bottom.

After clicking the button, Petra steps back as Gamora's eyes widen, along with Groot's, as the sword's blade lights up in electric spark.

"I am Groot. (Awesoooooome!)"  
"Got something for you too, little guy," Rocket retorts, turning and placing Groot on the table as Petra rushes excitedly to get it.

The Quill-girl walks back and Gamora follows, deactivating her new weapon. "Close your eyes," she tells Groot. He grins and does as told. Petra hands Rocket the thing.  
"Now open em," Rocket tells.

Groot looks to see a mini- **crossbow**! in Rocket's palm. "Ta da!"  
"Your first weapon! Yay!" tells Petra as Gamora laughs out happily.  
"I am Groot. (Oh my god! Yes! Yes! Yes!)" the littles one shouts, going to snatch it from Rocket's hand.  
"Ah!" he raises a finger. "I'll show you how it works first," he tells.

As he does so, Petra and Gamora fall behind. The Zen-Whoberi turns to the red-head knowingly. "So, what happened?" she asks. They speak in whispers, even though Rocket could still hear them, but they didn't know that.

Petra turns to her with that same smile. She giggles. "I'll tell you later," she says, playfully pushing Gamora's shoulder with hers.

She had no idea how much Gamora cherished these girlfriend moments.

* * *

In a secret military base, underneath the grounds of Xander, they hid

the Shadow Clan.

"AGAAGHAGAGA!...

hh…

hh…

hh…

ha…

haha…

hahahaha…that tickles!"

Drax laughs out at his supposed interrogator.

Oh, it **hurt**. But the stubborn Destroyer refused to show. He was chained to a metal chair with arms, the man across him electrocuting him with a taser like it would make a difference.

When they'd informed Rod that they'd knocked out one of the Guardians, he told them to bring him in for questioning.

However, what he was hoping for-no- **counting** on, was that the rest would **follow**.

And when he'd have the Guardians in his grasp, where they were ready, and in number,

he would take them down,

for good.

Not business, **personal**.

"I won't ask again! Where was your entrance?!" the man yells irritably.

He was attempting to get a clean on Nova's security improvements and placements, since the Guardians had been inside the new HQ, welcomed and hosted after the events with Ronan, till they were back on their feet, it was only fit to ask **them**.

Unfortunately, they got the stone-headed one.

"Okay. I will tell you," Drax says, face down. The man's eyes widen in hope, and slight shock. "We went through," Drax stops and looks into the man eyes intensely, "a **door** ," he says.  
"Which door?" the man asks.

…

"The FRONT DOOR! AAHAHAHAHAHAAA!"

Wrathfully, the man tazes him again, getting the same reaction. He asks a different question. "How many guards were inside?"  
"A hundred! A THOUSAND!"  
"How many cameras did you see?!"  
"A MILLION! AHAHAAHA!"

* * *

Back on the Milano, the others climb to the Navigation deck, where Peter was setting course for Xander, having contacted them and informed them of their arrival.

"What took you guys so long?" asks Peter.  
"We were gone for five minutes!" exclaims Petra irritably.  
"Hey, Quill. We got you something," Rocket tells, handing him a blaster. "Higher blast-force. More shots. Better charge. And it looks awesome," he explains as Peter observes it lovingly, wiring it up and watching cool little red lights light up in small squares on the side of it.  
"Nice!" he says. "Looks like we're doing some damage!"  
"Hell yeah!"  
"We're closing in. You give em a call?" asks Gamora.  
"Yeah. All set," he says.

"Okay, out of my seat," Petra tells, pushing him up.  
"Hey!" he utters as he stumbles off and Rocket chuckles in amusement. "What are you laughing at?!"  
"Nothing, man!"  
"…Is Groot holding a crossbow?!"  
"Yep!" says Petra from the seat.  
"I am Groot. (Imma kick asss!)"

* * *

"I'm sorry. I don't see you scheduled for an appointment," says the receptionist in Nova HQ.

As Peter took care of getting them in, the other four stood a few feet aside. But it was taking a while, and they were getting impatient.

Drax's life could be at stake, and they were losing precious time.

"Well, could you please give miss Prime a call," Peter says tiredly and sarcastically.  
"I am not authorized to make personal calls with miss **Rael** -"

"What is taking so long?" asks Gamora, stood with the others.  
"The lady's playing dumb, or is dumb," replies Rocket, wearing a look of concentration on his face.  
"Can…can you **hear** them?" asks Petra.  
"Mhmm," he replies, eyeing Peter and the lady intently.  
"The increase in your size must have increased your sense of sound as well," states Gamora, impressed.  
"Mhmm."  
"So like, how far can it reach?" asks Petra curiously.  
"Well," Rocket starts, turning to her suddenly, "I can hear how fast your heart's beating right now," he smirks.

Petra's face flushes red, smiling nervously, as Gamora smiled as well, feeling a slight gape inside, a certain emptiness she wished to fill.

"I am Groot. (Can you hear **my** heart beats?)" asks Groot enthusiastically from a pocket in Rocket's utility belt. Rocket looks down, smiling at him in amusement.  
"Yes, Groot. I can hear yours too," he tells.  
"This is taking too long," says Gamora.  
"Yeah. Time to intervene," replies Rocket.

* * *

"Look, **ma'am**. I don't think you understa-"  
"What is… **that**?" the lady suddenly asks, eyes going wide as Rocket and the others approached them.  
"I'm the one who **eats** the people that refuse us what we want," Rocket grins, making the others smirk.

Rocket then leans in on the counter, causing the frightened woman to take a few steps back. "Now do as the man asks, before I tear you limp from limp," he grins madly.

Petra stares at him from the side, she could feel her insides turn at the sight of him speaking this way, and seeming so threatening. It turned her on. "Ohhh, boy," she uttered to herself.

But he **heard** , and turned to her, smirking knowingly.

"That won't be necessary, subject 8-"  
"Do **not** …finish that sentence," Petra points furiously at Corpsman Rhomann Dey, causing Rocket to smirk, and the other two to nod in agreement.

Dey raises his hands peacefully, smiling proudly at them. "It's good to see you all again. This way."

* * *

Meeting with Nova Prime, the Guardians explained the situation. When the name Shadow Clan was brought up, Irani's face fell pale.

She escorted the Guardians to a secure room for conversing. She then explained that the clan was a rogue nation, Xander's very first policemen, whose commander, a cold man named Victor Rein, was once trusted as determined, and powerful.

But he was also **merciless** , and almost never satisfied. He sought a greater empire. He sought the **throne** , he sought power,

he sought too much.

It got to a dangerous point, and the ex-commander and his loyal followers, were defeated, and banished.

They'd been living in the shadows ever since, plotting, planning.

At first, they were small in numbers, short on weaponry and equipment.

Coming across several relics, Victor had an idea.

He would gather relics for money, and keep some for fire power, such as the one in Reveserume. They even kidnapped half a dozen scientists from across the galaxy to keep the relics in check, and operate them.

Their activity was soon noticed by Nova, and Irani had had spies on them ever since.

Just a few days ago, their layer was found, and it was a shocking discovery.

Turns out, they'd never gotten much further than **under** Xander's surface.

Nova Prime was planning on sending down a team the next day, a hundred men or so, to eliminate all that remained of the clan, and since the Guardians were here,

she'd make it today.


	38. 37: A BIG Surprise

Transported in heavy vehicles to the outskirts of the city, the Guardians feel anxious, but ready. There was no way they would give fear and doubt a chance to distract them from saving Drax, their giant teddy bear. No way.

Nevertheless, they were just as eager to kick some ass. The Clan have beaten them for the last time.

It had been nearly fifteen minutes, and there were no windows in the car. They had no idea where they were going, nor how long it would take to get there, nor **where** it was they were even headed.

But they trusted Nova, and Nova trusted them. The only concern they held was for their friend.

"Well, this might take a while," says Peter from beside Gamora. He then fixes himself, pulls up her arm as she eyes him warily, then places his head in her lap casually, closing his eyes, as if resting even, as she just sat there, baffled at him.

She looks at Rocket and Petra across her. Rocket gives her a knowing wink. She rolls her eyes at him as Petra simply smiles, then averts her attention to Groot, who was pretending to battle her fingers, stood between her palms.

Rocket smiles at the two of them, then shut his eyes as well, leaning his head back, placing an arm over Petra's shoulder and giving it a squeeze. She smiles, leaning towards him and resting her head on his chest, listening to his quickened heartbeats.

She was so happy, she almost felt guilty for it, what with the current situation and so.

"How do you think Drax's holding up?" Petra asks, concern evident on her features and in her voice. From across, Gamora, who was subconsciously twirling strands of Peter's blonde hair around the tips of her fingers, she smiles sympathetically.

"Drax is a fierce warrior. He'll be holding his ground firmly," she tells, trying to hide her own fears for their friend, as the others were too.  
"Plus. I'm pretty sure he's givin' them more of a hard time than they're doing with him," smirks Rocket.  
"Yeah," Peter laughs out half-heartedly. "Let's just hope he doesn't ruffle **all** of their feathers," he then notes grimly.

The car grows quiet.

What if he had?

What if they'd had enough of his snarky attitude…and…

No. No.

Drax was **fine**.

He had to be.

Their adventures had taken dark turns before, but losing one of their own? It was too much.

"You know, after this crap's over with, we are in serious need of a break," notes Rocket. Peter cocks an eyebrow at him from Gamora's lap.  
"That talk really comin' from **you**?" he asks, brushing off the fact that he had an arm around his sister, and Groot climbing his shoulder hyperactively with a mini-crossbow strapped to his small back.  
"What can I say? Losin' the big guy just don't feel right," he says weirdly, never having thought it would affect him this much.  
"Yeah," utters Petra sadly as Groot climbs down and Rocket halts him near his chest. Groot hugs at Rocket, whimpering sorrowfully for their lost friend. Rockets pats his back softly.

The car then jolts to a stop. Rocket debates shooting the driver. The Guardians fan out to blinding sunlight. Their vision improves to witness being stood in a hollow desert, surrounded by nothing but sand and dust and dead plants.

"I'm sorry, is **this** it?" asks Rocket irritably, heating up quickly because of the fur.

The commander, Rein, cocks an eyebrow at him. He then turns to one of his men. The Corpsman pulls a small, square object out of his belt, and throws it a few feet off as the remaining hundred soldiers huddled up behind.

Instead of dropping to the ground, the device latches on midair. A little electric buzzing and sparks,

it appears,

a camouflaged doorway.

The Guardians are both shocked and impressed.

Another man approaches the door and holds position near the opening-wheel. "Alright, men. Listen up," the commander speaks. "When that door is open, the enemy will have been notified, and will be on hold within. Heed caution. Kill on sight. Clear?" he asks.  
"Sir, yes, sir!" the troops yell as the Guardians simply stand.  
"Okay! Wow! Wait!" calls out Peter. All but his friends turn to him irritably. "Our friend is down there! Don't kill **everyone** in sight!"  
"We are aware, mister Quill. No one's shooting your friend," Rein tells.  
"Oh, well, then. Carry on," Peter says awkwardly.  
"Smooth," Petra smirks as the soldier turns the wheel. Peter shoves her lightly in irritancy.

The door opens with a loud creak.

And in

they go.

* * *

Gun-fire!

Everywhere!

A war zone is what this was.

The Guardians and Nova soldiers fought back and forth, mostly forth. They were well-armed, well-trained, and a lot. Which was good.

But how much longer would they be able to hold the upper hand?

When the Clan brought out relic-powered weapons, things took a rougher path.

Peter jumps to the side just before a shot hit. It collided with the ground instead and vaporized a big chunk of it off!

Three others were able to transport from place to place, making them difficult to hold down. A few others fought back with fire-blasting guns. And the rest were regulars.

It takes the Guardians and Nova time to accustom to the situation, and become clear-minded enough to discover ways of dealing with the new threats.

Utilizing his knowledge in maths and physics, Rocket smirks, aiming at a certain spot from behind a metal crate. In a manner of seconds, a mercenary materializes in that very spot, only to be immediately shot down by Rocket's keen eye.

Groot stood on Rocket's shoulder, using his new bow to do the most damage he could by distracting the mercenaries with flying arrows which stung like sudden bees.

Gamora strikes daggers through the air and into the throats of two of those who held vaporizing-blasters.

From Petra's spot behind the corner of a wall, she shot down up to six mercenaries with her new and improved blasters.

Peter's throwing punches, and, soon enough, was able to grab himself a vaporizer, making the fight ten times easier as he vaporized most of those available.

After at least fifteen minutes of going through knots, they found themselves nearing the dungeons. The Guardians offered taking it over themselves in hopes of finding Drax along an interrogation room. They break off from Nova.

Peter takes lead, quickly climbing down the stairs, and evading just a split second before crashing into a man's flying fist.

Peter grabs the man's arm and twists it, Rocket blowing a hole through his skull, and Groot grimacing.

They fight their way past several cells, shooting all that was in sight, until a man in a lab coat appears from behind a desk, raising his arms in surrender.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't blow your head off!" exclaims Rocket, aiming at him.  
"I know where your friend is! The big one!" the man tells hastily, one of the scientists.

Weapon pointed on his back as he led the way, the man escorts them to a spacious, dimly lit room.

"Drax!" they all exclaim at once. The Destroyer's head hung solely front, his body limb, and hands cuffed behind his back on the chair.

The Destroyer comes to find Petra in his face, and Groot on his lap, as Rocket worked on the cuffs.

Yelling and footsteps overheard alerted the Guardians, causing them to jump to their feet as a shot flew directly into the scientist's head, rendering him dead.

Thinking fast, Petra throws down a smoke grenade as Rocket and Peter push Drax and the chair out of fire-range, and Gamora and Petra herself take cover.

The mercenaries shoot about the smoke randomly. And when the shooting stopped, out of ammo, the Guardians' eyes lit up.

Having finally freed Drax, Petra pulls out an adrenaline shot, and stabs him in the chest.

The Destroyer pushes out of the chair, eyes wild. He gives a mad roar, shaking the cores of those standing as he charged towards them in train-speed.

And once again, the Guardians unit,

daring to those who stood against them.

Most strength,

as one.

The clan didn't stand a chance.

And so, they spread about the facility, wreaking havoc.

Of course, hearing of the break in, Rod himself was inclined to act, even Victor,

but he was readying something bigger.

Rod walks in on the Guardians taking down most of his men with ease. Instead of marching in like the rest of the idiots, Rod looked ahead for a way to end this, or at least temporarily stop it.

Then, he sees **her** , far off from her group.

As the Guardians stationed themselves in different areas across the hall, they failed to notice the intrusion in the shadow.

"Behold!" shouts Rod, grasping the Guardians' and his remaining men's attention. "A fallen Guardian."

The five's eyes go wide with fear as they all stand witness, to a friend held captive.

Petra.

Stood behind her, Rod held her tight, cold metal of the gun's muzzle touching her head as she winced more in shame than pain.

"That's right. Weapons down," grins Rod. Rocket feels frustration ignite in his chest, evident on his posture of ears pulled back and tail held threateningly down.

Fearful, the Guardians push low, going mad with concern, and thoughts,

thoughts of action,

a way out,

a rescue plan.

But was there?

Or was that it?

How could they stop this?

Had they gone too far?

How could they save their friend?

How could they save Petra?

Thinking he'd won, Rod smiles.

Then, cries out in pain.

Keeping hold of Petra, Rod reaches his hand to pull a tiny arrow! out of his cheek.

He stares at it in disbelieve.

The Guardians grin…

Without wasting a second, Petra elbows Rod in the stomach. The Guardians raise their weapons. Peter and Gamora shoot behind at the remaining mercenaries, and Rocket and Drax shoot down Rod,

alas,

taking him down.

The room goes quite. Rocket rushes to Petra's side, helping her off the floor. The others approach them ethically, Peter scooping Groot off the floor. "Nice!" he grins, high-fiving the little guy as the others smirk at him.

Drax is stood near Rod's corps. With a scowl, the Destroyer lets loose one final shot to his head, simply out of frustration.

"Feel better, Drax?" asks Petra, smiling.  
"Yes," he replies.  
"We missed you, big guy," says Peter, engulfing Drax in a tight hug, and shocking him slightly.  
"Yeah! Group it in!" says Petra, pulling Rocket and Gamora with as Groot climbed onto Drax's bald head and hugged it. The big guy laughs out

in pure joy.

"My friends!" he calls ecstatically.

A few minutes pass as the Guardians enjoy each other's company.

Then,

alarms

blare across the floors and walls. They pull apart, eyeing around suspiciously.

They hear yelling from outside, and head to follow down to a hanger, along with sixty or so Nova officers.

The hanger doors open,

revealing

an enormous,

fifty feet

robot.

…

"Holy hell," utters Peter.

* * *

War and chaos erupts across the floors. Nova fights the Clan. The Guardians against the robot. A battle with changing tides, and no certainty for any.

"Rocket! Petra! Options! Now!" yells Peter through the coms as the robot smashes and crashes about carelessly and ferociously, with Victor in control.

Using their Roosters, Rocket and Petra fly high up and round the robot's form, shooting when they could and avoiding crashing into it as it sought to take them down.

"Anybody else getting a sense of de ja vu?" asks Rocket. Drax grins, butt-heading two mercenaries, Gamora slicing about behind him, and Peter taking the high ground with Groot.

"Hey, Rocket!" calls Petra.  
"Yeah!"  
"I **spy**!"  
"Hoho, hell yeah!"  
"Weak hold!" she calls last, shooting at it, then rushing out of the way as, inside, Victor turns back to her furiously.

"Quill! We need a distraction!" Rocket tells.  
"A little hard right now!"  
"Figure it out!"

"Starlord!" shouts the commander. Peter turns. "We will back you and your team up. Take that thing **down**!" he tells.  
"Roger that!" nods the Quill, smirking contently.

Peter clicks his radio, playing 'spirit in the sky' by Norman Greenbaum. "Okay, folks. Let's play some ball," he calls through. "Gamora. Drax. The three of us-"  
"I am Groot!"  
"Sorry. **Four** of us, are gonna keep the big one distracted, whilst Rocket and Petra enlighten us with a big, hopefully painful, for **it** , solution. Copy?"  
 _"Copy,"_ tells Gamora.  
 _"I copy you, Peter,"_ says Drax.

The four rush and spread out, Drax climbing up the beast with his daggers, ripping and smashing as he went. Gamora made way to any weak spot in sight. Knees. Elbows. Joints.

Peter, with Groot on his shoulder, kept in sight of its vision, causing Victor to concentrate on them as the others worked.

Below was a battle field between Nova and the mercenaries.

Petra and Rocket had been working on a part in the back of the robot's neck, probably leading to the pilot section.

As it refused to budge, Petra raised up a hand hold some good old sticky-dynamite. Rocket grins.

She throws.

He shoots.

And 'Boom' goes the hatch.

Inside, the Guardians dive.

Victor turns,

and sees his truth.

He'd lost this battle too.

* * *

Alas, it was over. The Clan had been defeated. The relics, confiscated. Victor, in custody.

And the Guardians, victorious.

Nova thanks them for their assistance, rewarding them handsomely, compensating for all they'd lost along the way, and more.

Strolling side by side back to their ship, Peter looks behind him momentarily.

Drax is having a laugh with Gamora. Rocket has his arm over Petra, smiling contently, with Groot on his shoulder, grinning.

Peter smiles proudly at them,

at what they'd become.

"How about that vacation, guys?" he calls. They turn their attention to him,

and smile.


	39. Author's Note 2

Wow! That took a while. But it was WORTH it!

Okay, so that part basically summed up the 'how' on the Rocket and Petra situation, along with a plotline that I certainly enjoyed, and a lot of fluff :3 on both sides!

The next part, will take Guardians of the Galaxy vol.2 plot, with a bigger showing of how Rocket and Petra's relationship evolved into more, and settled to a lot. We'll also get to see how Yondu feels about it XD.

Now, as for when we'll see it. I'm not gonna lie, I have no idea. But, so far, I hope the past 37 chapters keep y'all content till I find the time to write.

Why am I busy? Well, I'm starting my first college year! Yay me! Also I'll be working on a Loki OC, 'The Choices We Make', and a Tony OC, 'Knights In Shining Armor'. Stay tuned! XOXO


	40. Almost!

Good news, guys! I started on part 3! It will be here soon.


	41. 38: Living Through Glory

(Mature scene ahead. I'll sum it up at the end of it.)

The soft beeping of an alarm had awoken the sleeping Quill. Petra's eyes flutter open. She blinked several times for her vision to adjust to the sight of their dimly lit room. She irritably reaches her arm out of the warmth of the blanket and shuts the beeper up, getting a groan of gratitude from Rocket behind her.

Her senses rise with her conscious, and she could feel Rocket's soft breathing on her neck, his warm fur against her bare back body, his arm wrapped tightly around her waist.

She smiled.

Petra wiggled in her spot, turning so she could face him, causing him to smile as she nuzzled her head between his neck and chest. He embraced her tightly, the feel of their naked bodies against one another maddening, but far from compared to the night before.

"Last night was crazy," he smirked, his memories flooded by a rush of emotions, hers too.  
"Mmm, yeah," she uttered, smiling contently.

It wasn't easy, breaking down that specific wall. They were both hesitant, him more than her, but when they did…

when they pushed past the fear, and the doubts, they'd found that it was far simpler than expected, and far better than they ever could've imagined.

Petra was glad to find that her assumption was right, being with Rocket was like nothing she'd ever experienced before.

She pushed her hand up and grasped his cheek, pulling down so his lips would meet hers. She kissed him feverishly, and he melted in her hold, moaning pleasurably.

She rested her other hand on his chest, feeling his fast, satisfying heartbeats underneath her palm.

He pushed her closely against him as his other hand buried into her loose hair-locks, taking lead and sending shock-waves through her body as she could feel him everywhere.

(Mature scene done. Basically Petra woke up next to Rocket and they kissed.)

A familiar banging on the door grasps their attention. They pull away and glare at it as Peter speaks through. "Wake up time! Get your asses out of bed!" he shouts, fairly amused as he was sure Rocket was irritated.

"I'm gonna kill your brother," Rocket states tiredly, falling back onto the pillow. Petra giggles.

XXXXX

Peter turns away from their door, and yelps in shock when he bumps into Drax right behind. "Jesus, man! You scared the shit out of me," he tells. Drax grins at that.  
"Good. I am become stealthier by the day," he says happily, giving Peter's shoulder a pat and walking away.

Peter shakes his head and rolls his eyes before opening Groot's door, who now resided in Petra's old room next to Rocket's. 

Peter walks in. He doesn't see Groot on his bed. "Groot?" he calls, wondering if he simply couldn't see the little guy.

Four months had passed since the previous events. The Guardians grew closer as a group more than ever. Groot himself, grew bigger, toddler-sized now, and as adorable as he was mischievous.

Though difficult, Petra and Rocket fashioned translating chips for all the Guardians, so they were always and forever able to understand Groot's words. Which was a grand step forward.

As Peter eyed around, a soft giggling echoed in his ear. His eyes bolted up, and caught a glimpse of a moving figure.

He smirked.

Groot deactivates hi gravity-boots to fall onto the Quill's head. Peter gets out of the way and stretches his arms out.

"Gotcha!" he exclaims. Groot laughs out as Peter tickles him mercilessly, laughing along.

Gamora was stood at the opposite door, smiling happily at the two. Peter noted her presence, and told Groot to go wash up. He then gave her his full attention.

Peter walked up to Gamora, causing her heart to race with every step he took towards her.

There was this newly found flow between them, ever since Gamora decided to heed Rocket's words and let Peter in.

Peter takes her by the waist and pulls her into him. She smiles as he leans forward, ghosting his lips above hers.

About to fully close the distance, Peter notes Gamora's averted attention. He turns to see Drax staring at them as he munched down a bag of Cheetos.

Peter sighs tiredly. "May we help you?" he asks. Drax furrows his eyebrows at him.  
"No," he replies. They glare at him intently.

Some things never change.

Rocket and Petra exit their room, fully dressed and giggling like teenagers. They stop to the awkward situation across them. Peter eyes them irritably. Rocket grins, sliding an arm around Petra's waist.

"What's wrong, Quill? You look a little uncomfortable," he states. Peter chuckles in sarcasm at him, pretending to be unaffected by his teasing.  
"Wash up. You two smell like crap," he tells.  
"They smell like sex," Drax notes blankly. They all turn to him in shock. Rocket bursts into laughter. Peter washes a hand down his face. The others smirk.  
"Thank you for that, Drax!" Peter grins in frustration.  
"You're welcome," Drax smiles, walking off casually.

Rocket and Petra head to move. "Hey!" Peter yells suddenly. They stop irritably. "Separate. Bathrooms," he stresses. They share an amused look as Gamora stifles laughter behind Peter.  
"Sure thing, Quill," Rocket grins.

He walks off with Petra. They hear a bathroom door close. One door.

Peter sighs.

"We're never getting there in time," he utters tiredly. Gamora chuckles at that. He turns to her, somewhat calming down.  
"Come on," she beckons, lightly touching his shoulder. "Help me get the stuff from downstairs."

XXXXX

An hour later, the Guardians make ready to land. They were headed to Sovereign, where they were asked to stop an interdimensional being from feeding on Sovereign's very expensive set of batteries, in return, of course, for a large sum of units.

Petra was driving them in. Drax was miserably attempting to put on an Aero-rig, basically jetpacks. Rocket was helping Drax strap it on, while Peter simply observed the skies as Petra drove.

Gamora was seated on the chair behind, and Groot, whom Petra had fashioned an outfit quite similar to Rocket's for, was seated on top of her head, braiding strands of her velvet-colored hair.

Rocket momentarily turns, and catches sight of this. "Groot, wouldya quit bothering Gamora!" he tells tiredly. Gamora chuckles as Groot turns to him innocently.  
"It's okay. Let him play," she assures comfortably.  
"I am Groot. (But, daddy! Your hair's not big enough to braid!)" Groot defends, causing the others to grin and some to chuckle. Rocket smiles at Groot's silliness.

A while ago, Groot had so adorably asked Rocket if he could call him 'daddy'. Though it took Rocket a full minute to process Groot's request, and slightly tear up, he un-doubtfully said yes.

Petra, on the other hand, **did** cry when Groot first called her 'mommy'. She'd never thought about the concept, becoming a mom, though she was already practically one to Groot from the start. But, to make it official, in one way or another, she was unimaginably joyful, like it was always a missing part of her life, and she just never knew.

Nevertheless, it helped the love between her and Rocket grow, knowing that, they had somehow entered a certain level of commitment with each other. And knowing that that level held Groot as center, it far from scared them, either of them.

Of course, the others loved this as well. There was something about them slowly becoming a true family that was fulfilling in so many ways. Uncle Peter. Uncle Drax. Auntie Gamora. It was a euphoric feeling, to be considered family, to be loved as Groot loved them all so innocently and so completely.

"I am Groot. (And uncle Drax doesn't **have** any hair!)" Groot resumes.

"Hey!" Drax exclaims in offense.  
"Now, now, Groot. You know how uncle Drax is sensitive about his…hair," Peter stifles laughter at his own words. Rocket chuckles.  
"I can hear your mocking tone!" Drax tells irritably.  
"Hey! Don't move!" Rocket scolds, pulling at another strap.  
"I am Groot! (I braid uncle Peter's hair all the time!)" he grins mischievously.

The others turn to Peter, who flushes red and laughs nervously. "Uh, yeah…once or twice," he says.  
"Hey, no judgment here, pal," Rocket tells in amusement, quite content with Peter entertaining his Groot.  
"Not that this conversation hasn't been greatly informative," Petra draws, smiling contently, "but we're here."

XXXXX

Stood on the edge of a large, platinum platform, the Guardians charge up their weapons.

Rocket is knelt down beside a set of speakers. "Dude, what're you doing?" Peter asks him weirdly.  
"I'm finishing this, so we can listen to tunes while we work. Next time, it'll be induced in our com-system, so I don't have to do **this** every time," he explains.  
"You realize how unimportant this is right now, right?" Peter tells.  
"I'm sorry, is the beast here yet? No? Then stop talking," Rocket retorts irritably. Peter exhales in an attempt to retaliate from punching Rocket in the face.

"Okay. One more time. Wheeeee!" Petra lets out as she grasps Groot by his little arms and twirls him around in circles. He giggles fervently in utter joy.

Rocket smiles happily at the two that held his heart in their hands.

Petra stops and puts Groot down, washing a hand through the hair that she now always wore loose, mainly for Rocket, who easily got distracted by it.

"Ow!" Rocket winces at a wire that had electrocuted his finger. Peter grins.  
"You having a hard time concentrating there, Rocket?" he asks slyly. Rocket chuckles in sarcasm.  
"That's very funny, Quill. You're very funny."

"Drax! Where's your Aero-rig?!" Gamora exclaims from beside them.  
"I took it off," he tells.  
"Why would you do that?!" Peter asks irritably.  
"…It hurts…" Drax says, refusing to meet their eyes.  
"Hurts?" Gamora asks in mock.  
"…

I have sensitive nipples…"

Immediately, Rocket laughs out at that. They turn to him. "'My nipples hurt! Ohhh! Goodness, me!'" he imitates. Drax eyes him wrathfully.  
"At least I **have** nipples!" he exclaims, causing Peter to grin in amusement. Rocket furrows his eyebrows at him.  
"Who the heck says I **don't**?!"  
"Don't what?" Petra asks, coming to stand beside them as Groot scuttled to Rocket's side curiously.  
"Rocket doesn't have nipples," Drax informs. Rocket rolls his eyes and Peter stifles a chuckle. Gamora eyes around warily for the beast soon to come.

Petra freezes, furrowing her eyebrows at them. "Do I even wanna know what you guys were talking about?" she asks.  
"Trust me, you don't," Gamora replies.

And just then,

it opens,

a portal

ripping through the sky,

and it, which mimicked a giant octopus in shape, a peach in color, and a whale in size,

came tumbling down

like a ruthless tornado.

"Well…That's intense," utters Rocket, plugging in the speakers. Mr. Blue Sky tunes through as he rises to his feet, pulling out his gun.

Everyone prepares, including Groot, who now had his own gun, and was always equipped with a Proto-Orb, a new invention of Rocket and Petra inspired by their desire to keep Groot safe, yet still indulge his need to battle. It was an orb like creation that surrounded the little guy when danger was sensed.

When the beast then collided with the platform, the Guardians charged in, using the Aero-rigs for flight.

The creature screeches in a claim of war, flailing about its enormous tentacles as the Guardians whizzed about him like irritating insects, shooting this way and that.

"Groot! Stay close to me!" Rocket warns.  
"I am Groot! (Die, filthy creature!)" Groot shouts at the monster.

Drax, the only one who was not equipped with an Aero-rig, was on the ground, slicing at the beast's arms whenever possible, and his main goal was climbing onto its head.

The rest circle about its face, attempting to blind it. But then it opens its mouth, where a circular set and rows of dagger-sized teeth threatened action. And at the base of its throat, a light started.

"Outta the way!" shouts Gamora. Rocket snatches Groot's arm and dives into Petra, pulling both out of sight as Gamora and Peter did the same.

The creature rounded its head as it spurred out rainbow-colored flames. Petra was dying to throw something into its basket-like mouth.

She spun in Rocket's hold and threw in a grenade with all her might.

The creature chocked momentarily, a small boom went off, but then it was back to furiously screeching.

"Well, I tried," she winced. Rocket smirked.

Peter was the first in the beast's sights, so it turned its full rage onto him. Peter's eyes widen. "Uhhh, guys. Think we made angry." The creature starts opening its jaw to the widest. "Uh, oh," Peter utters, adrenaline kicking in. It dove after him. "Shit! AHGAHHAAAA!" Peter screamed, flying off, chased like a mouse by a lion.

"Hang in there, Quill!" Rocket tells as the others follow after the beast and attempt to distract it.

Nothing works as it was hell-bent on devouring Peter.

Then, Drax jumps five feet into the air, crashing his form into Peter and throwing both of them to the ground quite painfully.

The other four hurry in front of it, shooting all about, then splitting up as the beast charged forward once more.

About fifteen minutes more of back and forth, Drax decides on quite the course of action.

"The beast's hide is too thick to be pierced from the outside! I must cut through it from the inside!" he declares from beside Gamora.

Suddenly hearing him, she turns to him. "Huh?" she asked in shock.  
 _"Drax! No!"_ Rocket screams through the coms as Drax nonchalantly started running towards the creature. _"You idiot! No-"_  
 _"Drax!"_ shouts Petra as well.

But it is too late.

He'd jumped inside.

 _"_ _What is he doing?!"_ Peter asks in utter bewilderment.  
 _"The skin level is the same of thickness from the inside as it is from the outside!"_ exclaims Rocket furiously.  
 _"We have to get him out of there!"_ says Petra.  
 _"No shit, sis!"_ Peter retorts. She rolls her eyes at him.  
"I am Groot! (Daddy! Look!)" Groot insists.

Rocket eyes around for Groot. He follows after him, where the child pointed at a spot on the beast's neck. Rocket grins. "Atta boy!" he praises happily, pulling Groot away from the creature's front. Groot giggles and Petra smirks. "Guys! It's got a big-ass lash on its neck!" Rocket informs.

They acknowledge this.

 _"_ _Okay. Here's the plan. We distract it. Gamora-"_ Peter starts.  
 _"I know what to do,"_ she nods, pulling out her sword.  
 _"Alright. Good. The rest of us will get him to look up."_

"Hey, you big ugly sea-monkey! Up here!" Rocket calls, shooting at it alongside the rest.

When her window was open, Gamora stole forward, quick as a sparrow as she jumped onto one of the tentacles and into the air, colliding sharply with the beast's skin, sword-first, and slicing clean through its form, till she dropped safely to the ground, and the beast fell quickly.

The Guardians head to land, and watch as Drax falls out of the wound Gamora had opened, covered in yellow goo. They cringe in disgust.

Drax rises to his feet and laughs out heartedly. "Yes! I have single-handedly vanquished the beast!" he exclaims.  
"No, you bozo. You didn't," states Rocket.  
"I am Groot! (Bozo!)" Grins Groot.  
"Hey!" Rocket and Petra warn in union. Groot smiles sheepishly at them in apology.  
"Yes, I did!" Drax insists.  
"No, you didn't, Drax," Peter tells. Drax glares at him all too suddenly. Peter grows wary.  
"Anyways!" Gamora pushes. "We're done here. Let's collect our reward, so we can go back, and Drax can take a shower."

XXXXXXXXXX


	42. 39: Sovereign

The Guardians stand by one of the battery holders, setting themselves right before heading to claim their reward.

Rocket eyes the batteries yearningly. "You know, I bet they wouldn't notice if one went missing," Rocket tells Petra, who was readying beside him.  
"No," she draws in warning, taking his hands in hers. "Keep your hands…to yourself," she says, pulling him into her.  
"Mm? What about here?" he smirks, placing them on her waist.  
"Here's fine," she chuckles, kissing him heartedly.  
"Will you two please get a room?!" Peter calls. They pull apart and grin at him.  
"We're ready," states Gamora, coming to stand beside them.  
"Alright. Let's move. Oh, and, careful what you say around these people. They're very easily offended," he states seriously, remembering the last time him and Petra were here.  
"Well, this should be fun," Rocket grins mischievously as they start to walk.  
"Dude. Seriously. The cost of transgression…is death," Peter warns.  
"W-" Rocket's jaw drops. "Why?!" he exclaims, clasping his fingers around Groot's small hand that had snuck into his for comfort.  
"Cause they're a bunch of insecure a-holes," Petra retorts.  
"I have no patience for such," Drax says tiredly.  
"Well-said, man," Rocket agrees.  
"Technically, you two don't have patience for anything," Gamora states.

As so, the Guardians argue their path to the Sovereign palace, golden-colored as the people that inhabited it, literally.

Queen Ayesha sits on her gold-made throne, thanking the Guardians for their work, and boasting about their genetically-engineered-to-perfection citizens. The Guardians tensely waited for her to finish her ridiculously boring speech and come out with what was promised.

However, what was promised

was never

what was expected.

Ayesha points a sole finger at her guards, and they come in with seemingly a prisoner in hand. They remove the hood, and reveal their hostage…

Nebula.

The Guardians freeze in shock.

Nebula's blurry vision straightens, and her eyes dart around in extreme wariness. The second they land on Gamora, they widen. "Gamora! She-" Nebula tries, but one of the guards slaps a hand on her mouth and hold her harshly.

Though she shouldn't care, though, on some level, she ought to gloat, but Gamora could see the wildness in her sister's eyes.

Something was terribly wrong.

"Let her go!" Gamora yells at the guard. He looks to his queen, who gives a sole nod. He throws her into Gamora's arms.

From behind, Rocket's ears perk at the sound of an unsheathing sword. His fur stands.

They were under threat.

"Sister, she means to kill us!" Nebula whispers to Gamora in haste.

At that, the Guardians grow wary as well, eyeing around them as the guards ever so slowly close in.

"Indeed. Last you and your sister paid us a visit, you had cost us twenty of our most elite guards…

including my son…" Ayesha hisses the last statement coldly, leaning out of her throne.

The Guardians huddle together protectively, Nebula still in Gamora's arms. "Your call, Quill," Rocket tells, him and Petra pushing Groot behind them.  
"Petra," Peter starts.  
"I called it," she refers to the ship.  
"Rocket."  
"On it," he retaliates, sneaking a hand into one of his pockets, and pulling out a larger in size Proto-Orb.

As the guards dangerously close in, the Milano's reeving engines tune in. The Sovereigns grow wary, and the queen hurriedly rises and is escorted away just as the Milano charges in, crashing through the main door and the walls around it, shooting all that was in its path.

Rocket immediately activates the Proto-Orb, and the Guardians remain protected inside as the Milano wreaks havoc within the throne room, and the Sovereigns find cover, buying the Guardians time.

Petra clicks another button, and the ship halts its shooting. Rocket deactivates the orb, and the Guardians run to safety, being faced by a mere number that they quickly diminished before more would rise.

The hatch closes behind them as the Sovereigns charge forward. Petra storms to the navigation deck and starts the ship, hovering up and out of the building effortlessly.

XXXXX

"Phew! That was close," utters Petra, the ship alas in the air.  
"Too close," Nebula scolds.  
"Hey, watch your tone, ice-cube! 'Fore I give you somethin' ta complain about," Rocket threatens.  
"There is nothing you can scare me with, rodent!" Nebula retorts.  
"Hey!" shouts Petra in rage at the word. She rises to her feet. Peter quickly stands tall as Rocket's fists balled up.

And just before he can do anything, Gamora punches Nebula dead in the face.

Nebula falls to her knees as the others gawk. Gamora towers over her sister darkly. Peter quickly intervenes. "Rocket. Cuffs," he requests. Taking a minute to process that the Quill had even spoke, Rocket complies, and Peter walks over to Nebula. He kneels down beside her and restrains her arms. "Alright. Let's go," he tells, guiding her down the stairs, the only thing strong enough to tie the cuffs around. Gamora follows after him.

Petra heads over to Rocket. She doesn't say anything, she never did when anyone slips and calls him names that were not his own. She knew, if she spoke, all he'd feel is self-pity, and insecurity. It merely sufficed to hold him, avert his attention from the whole situation.

She places her hand on his shoulder lightly. He turns to her, smiling softly.

And, sure enough, with Petra around, the names never got to him like they used to. Nowadays, he felt equal to those around him in many ways. Rodent? So what? He got the girl.

"I am Groot. (Mommy.)" Groot tugs at her hand. Her and Rocket look down at him.  
"Yeah, baby?"  
"I am Groot? (What's uncle Peter doing to Nelbula?)" he asks. She chuckles and Rocket smirks.  
"Nebula," she corrects. "And, he's just," Petra scours for the right words as she crouched down beside him and rubbed his little hand between her warm palms. "cuffing her to the stairs," she says weirdly.  
"I am Groot. (Why?)"  
"Because she is a murderer," answers Drax as Rocket flops onto one of the chair. Groot turns to him momentarily, he who was standing with his arms crossed.  
"I am Groot. (But…she's auntie's sister,)" he states as if it was wrong.  
"Well, she's quite the sister," Rocket sighs.  
"I'll go see what's going on," Petra tells, rising to her feet.

Rocket watches her leave. He smiles. How she always made sure they kept together never got old for him. He then turns to Groot, who turned to him as well, wander in his adorably large eyes. Rocket pats his lap, and Groot smiles, scurrying and jumping onto it.

"Do you think Petra will still cook dinner today?" Drax asks Rocket. Rocket looks at him weirdly.  
"Seriously, man?! That's all you can think of?!" he exclaims.  
"What?" Drax asks at his tone. Rocket sighs, throwing his head back on the chair as Groot chuckled lightly.

XXXXX

"Where are you taking me?" Nebula questions tensely as Peter cuffs her to the stairs.  
"To Xander," Gamora replies nonchalantly. Peter tenses.  
" **Another** prison cell?!"  
"Did you think we would just let you go?" Gamora retorts tiredly. Nebula glares at her intently. Peter sighs, straightening.  
"Okay," he takes Gamora lightly by the arm and leads her to the end of the kitchen.

He eyes her warily, as if debating to say what was on his mind. She eyes him expectantly. "What?" she pushes impatiently.  
"Okay. So. I know I probably shouldn't say this. But. I have to. So. Please don't punch me in the face," he smiles slightly. Gamora rolls her eyes at him, but listens. "…She's your sister, G." Gamora immediately opens her mouth to protest. He cuts her off. "I know. You hate her. She hates you. She's tried to kill you. You've tried to kill her, but…she's…family…and

family's important…"

Gamora eyes Peter in confusion more than frustration. He would ever so rarely use this tone with her. Serious…Caring. It was so easy to give in to anything he said then.

Gamora averts her eyes from his and sighs. "…What do you want me to do?" she asks curiously. Peter's gaze softens, and tension somewhat fades. He honestly didn't think she'd listen.  
"Just…talk to her," Peter replies almost uncertainly.  
"Is everything okay?" Petra asks, them just noticing her then.

Peter turns to Gamora for conformation. She gives a tired nod.

The Guardians then feel the ship shake vigorously.

"I am Groot! (Mommy! Daddy needs you up here!)" Groot states from atop the stairs. Petra runs back to him.  
"What's going on?!" Peter asks, him and Gamora following.  
"Did you think it would be that easy?!" Nebula hisses harshly.  
"Shut up!" Gamora insists, disappearing upstairs with her friends.

XXXXX

"Rocket, what's going on?" Petra asks in haste, coming to stand beside him on the pilot chair.  
"Those self-loving, crack-pots are still after our asses!" he exclaims, taking another sharp turn, causing the Guardians to stumble for footing.  
"Everybody, buckle up!" Peter tells. They all hurry to the nearest chair as Peter scoops Groot off the floor and onto one hurriedly.  
"Red! Switching to you!" Rocket tells.  
"Got it!" she confirms.

Over six dozen mini pods were emerging behind the Milano. They swarm after the Guardians, a determined fleet. Each pod was small in size, therefore, much faster than the Milano itself, and so, soon enough, they invaded their vision, and stationed in front of them threateningly with guns locked and loaded.

They shoot.

The Milano holds, of course, but not for long. As the Guardians shot down as many as they could, disappointed that the pods were remotely controlled and they weren't actually causing any damage, their main goal was escape.

"Guys! We gotta shake em off!" Peter tells, equipping weaponry at the fleet alongside Rocket.  
"You think?!" Petra exclaims.  
"There's a habitable planet nearby," Gamora tells.  
"How many jumps?" Petra asks.  
"Only one, but the access point is forty-seven clicks away! **And** , you have to go through that quantum asteroid field," Gamora tells.  
"Petra!" Peter warns.  
"She's got it! Don't pressure her!" Rocket tells. Petra smiles, taking a turn and diving into the field with the fleet hot on their trail.

Flying through was easier said than done, with the amount of appearing and disappearing piles of floating stone, and the army at hand!

She got them halfway through though, but, eventually, the effort wore her concentration down, and their luck ran out. They took a critical hit, and their weapons got disabled, along with the breaking off of a huge chunk of the kitchen!

Gamora quickly shut the broken part down with a barrier force-field, unwittingly halting her sister's suction into space.

Noting they were in serious trouble, Drax climbed down, putting on one of the quick-on spacesuits Rocket and Petra had created. He tied himself in, and jumped out of the ship with a huge blaster in hand.

There was only one ship left behind them! And they were so close to the jump point! But the remaining pilot was a smart one, and had managed to survive the field so far.

Then Drax came out. With one single shot, the pod blew to flames.

And then, the same dozen or so pods reappeared. It seemed they had simply gone around the field.

"Oh, fuck!" Rocket whines irritably. "Come on!"  
"Five clicks away!" Gamora states.

The fleet circle around the Guardians, and shoot ferociously.

Fear strikes the Guardians' hearts.

They wouldn't make it.

Then…

…

All the ships explode, and fall.

…

The threat was gone.

…

"What the hell was that?" Peter asks in shock, eyeing around with Rocket. Petra remains focused on the jump point just two feet away.  
"It's a guy," Rocket says in confusion as he and Peter stare out at an odd figure on a big, white ship.

And then, Petra pushes them through the jump point.

"Is Drax still out there?!" Gamora exclaims. Their eyes widen as they watch the feed of Drax thrashing and smashing into every other tree they cross.  
"Guys! Get him in here!" Petra shouts.  
"I'll get him," Gamora tells.  
"Yeah," Peter follows after her in haste, leaving it to Petra to perform a semi-graceful landing with the current state of the ship.

Rocket looks back at Groot. "You good, kiddo?" he asks worriedly. Groot giggles.  
"I am Groot! (That was awesome!)" he says. Rocket chuckles and Petra smirks.

XXXXXXXXXX


	43. 40: Backlashed

After landing on a planet named Berhert, the Guardians eye their fallen fortress sorrowfully. "Well, this sucks," Rocket exhales.  
"Sorry, guys," Petra tells shamefully.  
"Hey, what're you apologizing for?" Rocket asks seriously.  
"We would have died, had it not been for you, Petra," Gamora insists.  
"Yeah, sis," Peter smiles, slinging an arm around her shoulder.  
"You did your best," Drax nods firmly as Groot takes her hand and smiles up at her. She squeezes his hand and smiles gratefully at them. Nebula scoffs silently at their closeness. _'Sentimental idiots,'_ she thought.

Looking up to the sky, she prays for a way out. She sees the jump point,

…

and she sees another ship fly through.

Her eyes widen.

"Someone followed you through the jump point!" she exclaims aloud.

The Guardians look. "Oh, for the love of…" Rocket breathes tiredly, pulling out his gun alongside the others. They huddle together once more.

"Set me free. You'll need my help," Nebula tells.  
"I'm not a fool, Nebula," Gamora says.  
"You **are** a fool if you deprive yourself a hand in combat!" Nebula retorts.  
"You'll attack me the moment I let you go!"  
"…No, I won't…"  
"You'd think an evil supervillain would learn how to properly lie," Peter speaks.  
"Tell me about it," Rocket retorts.

The ship heads to land rather quickly, white, and egg-shaped. It's gate, like yellow yolk. It was very weird.

The ship nestled itself admits the ground and broken tree logs that the Milano had dismantled during its fall.

The yolk-gate liquefied away, and out came two figures.

One was insect-like, and human-shaped all at once. Her attire was green, sleeveless, with a pair of fingerless gloves. Her hair was jet-black and hung loose above her shoulders. From said hair, emitted two long tentacles, lit at the edges. Her eyes were huge, and dark.

Very strange.

And then…

there was the man.

He seemed human, which was something the Guardians weren't sure boded well. He looked old. His bushy hair and beard greyed, and his attire was a combination of silver and black colored armor, with a black cape.

He smiled softly at them, locking eyes especially with Peter and Petra.

He spoke.

"After all these years, I've found you…"

The Quills freeze…

It couldn't be…

…

…

Their friends eye them worriedly. Rocket speaks up for them. "Who the hell are you?" he asks.

The man, Ego, he turns to Rocket momentarily, furrowing his eyebrows in confusion at **what** he was, as well as the small tree with a **face** standing beside him. What the hell?!

He shook the thought and looked back at the other two. "Well, I figured my rugged good looks would make that obvious," he retorts, smirking. Peter's eyes widen. "…My name is Ego…and I am your dad, Peter…Petra…"

Peter's lips part in shock, and Petra's heart squeezes painfully in place. She furrows her eyebrows in utter confusion, shaking her head in denial as her eyes slowly watered up. "…What?" she let out. Ego furrows his eyebrows at her pained expression.

Rocket feels pain stab at his own heart for seeing her this way. He knew how close her and Yondu were, and for this guy to give such sudden claim, was absurd.

Gamora places a comforting hand on Petra's shoulder, knowing Peter was hurting the same. Drax's fists clench. "You have some serious explaining to do," he tells firmly.

Noting his presence was unwelcomed, Ego raises his hands in peace. "I know. And I will. I will explain everything, but first…its getting dark, we'll build a fire, and I'll tell you everything you need to know."

Nebula rolls her eyes. This was so not the time.

Drax exhales impatiently, he stomps forward, grasping a pile of broken logs. He throws them near a larger group of logs that could be used as seats, and shoots them with his blaster, setting them alight.

"Done. Now speak."  
"…Very well."

XXXXX

"I hired Yondu to pick you up…when your mother passed away…but…instead of returning you, Yondu kept you. I have no clue as to why," Ego explains.

Peter is seated beside him, and Gamora on his other side. Petra was between Rocket and Groot. Drax, and the strange woman, Mantis, were seated together.

Petra refuses to meet Ego's eyes, too caught up in her own thoughts. Peter nods at his words understandingly. "Well, I'll tell you why," he starts. Petra's eyes dart to her sibling. "Because we were skinny little kids who could squeeze into places adults couldn't…Made it easier for thievin'," he tells disappointedly.

Petra looks away once more, refusing all that she was hearing. Rocket picks up on her escalated heartbeats. Unsure what else to do, he takes hold of her hand. She feels it, and looks up to meet his caring eyes with her broken ones.

Remembering he was there, beside her, eased her tension somewhat, and she smiled gratefully at him, squeezing his hand back.

Ego notes the exchange, and is all the more confused by the big furry creature and the nature of his relationship with the Quill girl.

"Well…" Ego starts, forcefully tearing his eyes away from the sight. "I've been trying to track you down ever since…" He looks away. "That son of a bitch," he hisses.

"Okay," Petra finally speaks. They all turn to her. Rocket notes her heartrate as furious. She rises to her feet "I can't do this…I can't," she says, walking off towards the ship.  
"Red, wait!" Rocket hurries after her.

Groot heads to move as well. "Groot. Stay," Gamora tells, understanding that they needed to be alone. Groot reluctantly complies.

The group tenses by Petra's departure.

"Did I say something wrong?" Ego asks in confusion. The Guardians turn to him once more.  
"…Petra and Yondu are…really close," Peter informs.  
"You have to understand how difficult this is for her," Gamora tells, nodding along with Drax. Ego's eyes avert in concern.

He could not afford losing one of them, for his own reasons.

He would try.

"Not a day goes by that I wish I hadn't found you sooner," he says, feigning sorrow. Peter's gaze softens at that.  
"How **did** you find us?" Gamora question. He turns to her.  
"Even where I reside, out past the edge of what's known, we've all heard tell about the Star-Twins," he explains.  
"Star-Twins?" Peter smirks.  
"Yeah!" Ego grins. "Anyways, past the edge of what's known, we could go there now. Your associates are welcome. Even that triangle-faced monkey that went after Petra." Peter snorts at that. Gamora glares at him, and Drax smirks. Groot scowls.  
"I am Groot. (A-hole.)" he says. The Guardians turn to him in shock, then chuckle.  
"What?" Ego asks in confusion. They turn to him once more. They probably shouldn't tell him.  
"Nothing. He's just being funny," Peter tells.  
"He called you an A-hole," Drax says blandly. They widen their eyes at him, and Groot smirks. Ego turns to Peter for an explanation. He struggles to find one.  
"Groot's Rocket's…kid…and Petra's," he says. This only succeeds in bewildering Ego. Groot smiles brightly.  
"Wh-How?!" he exclaims.  
"He's not… **actually** their kid. Look, it's a long story," Peter tries.  
"So…they're **not** together?" Ego retorts.  
"They are," Gamora replies.  
"They make love," Drax tells. They turn to him in shock.  
"Drax! So help me god!" Peter shouts at him.  
"It's the truth!" Drax yells back. Groot laughs in the commotion.  
"Both of you! Shut up!" Gamora shouts at them.

XXXXX

Storming inside, Petra ignores Nebula, who was cuffed to an exposed pole in the ship. Rocket hurries behind her.

She opens the door to her bedroom, leaving it open, cause she knows he was behind her.

Her breathing quickens and tears involuntarily rain down.

It couldn't be.

She couldn't think like that. She refused to believe that the only reason Yondu ever took them was for use, refused to suddenly have to throw away all that love that had grown between them away, for the claims of a father who had supposedly been seeking her out this whole time.

She refused to see a better life, refused to **blame** Yondu for taking away said better life.

She refused to blame him…

...

But should she?

Rocket walks in, shutting the door behind. She turns to him, and the minute her eyes lock with his, all her walls fall, and she sinks into his arms.

Rocket's heart breaks at the state she was in. Seeing her like this, he wanted to punch something, whatever was bothering her, but what was he to do? Go punch her father in the face, go punch Yondu? No. He wouldn't do that. Besides, even if he wanted to, Yondu wasn't here, and Ego wasn't the one to blame.

Rocket wraps his arms around her securely, shushing her softly as she cried silently, head resting on his chest. He tenderly patted down her hair. "It's okay. It's okay…" he assured softly, as calm as he attempted to remain for her.

"I can't, Rocket! I can't!" she complains sorrowfully. He pulls her back and takes her face between his palms, wiping at her tears with his thumbs. "We just saw Yondu last week! We can't just…just…" she struggles to find meaning, **reason** , for what she was feeling. Rocket nods understandingly.  
"I know. I know," he tells.

Petra notes his sincerity. He got her. He always did, or he always cared enough to try. She needed that, more than anyone knew.

Petra let out a sigh of seemingly relief. She rests her forehead on Rocket's as he caresses her reddened cheeks gently. She then shakes her head. "I can't go back out there," she says, pulling back.  
"Then don't. Screw the guy... We'll deal when you're ready to deal," Rocket tells.

Petra smiles brightly at him.

"…I love you," she tells seriously, meaning it with all her heart. He smiles back, his own heart fluttering with joy at hearing it, and it would always flutter, if it was the hundredth time he'd hear it, or the hundredth time she'd say it.

(Mature scene ahead.)

He leans in and takes her lips between his. She inhales deeply, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling herself up to his level so she could kiss him ever so passionately.

He pulls her back to lock the door, then gives her his full attention, placing a firm hand on her back, and the other beneath her head.

They tear at each other lips ferociously, feeling fire start within them. Petra slides a hand down his chest and stomach, causing him to moan deeply at her urgent touch as she reached to pull his shirt up.

She pulls it over his head, then takes off her own as he chuckled, eyeing her bare form lovingly before locking eyes with her gorgeous emerald ones once more. "Your timing is impeccable, Red," he says haughtily. Petra smirks.  
"Shut up and kiss me," she tells. He grins in excitement.  
"Yes ma'am."

They melt into each other's arms once more.

(Mature scene done.)

XXXXX

The next morning, Rocket wakes up before Petra. He was on his back, and she on her side beside him, on the inner part of the bed, all huddled up underneath the blanket, small strands of her loose hair shielding one of her peacefully shut eyes. He observed her every feature as if for the first time, listened to the soft rise and fall of her chest. He exhaled, knowing he was the luckiest man in the world, to wake up next to an **angel** …every day of his life.

Rocket leans in and lightly kisses her on her forehead. She shuffles slightly, smiling contently, knowing full and well, how exposed, and vulnerable she was just then, but knowing full and well that she could never be safer…there. With him.

Rocket then pulls out of the blanket, and gets dressed. He comes out of the room, and catches sight of Peter in the kitchen, coffee mug in hand. "Hey," Peter greets.  
"Hey, man," Rocket retorts, waltzing towards the thankfully still intact coffee machine.

It was the part with the big screen and the meeting table that was torn out. There were some slim couches by the kitchen that would suffice till they could patch it up.

"How's she holding up?" Peter asks tensely. Rocket sighs heavily.  
"I'm not gonna lie to you, Quill, she's not happy," he chuckles blankly. Peter nods knowingly, slightly disappointed though.  
"Well," Peter starts as Rocket takes a seat on the couch opposite him. "Ego…invited all of us to his place, where he lives," he states. Rocket takes this in. "He wants to show me and Petra our… **special** …heritage…whatever," he shakes his head uncertainly. Rocket takes a minute.  
"…Petra's not gonna like that…At least, not until she talks to Yondu" he says, taking a large gulp out of his mug. Peter listens intently.  
"So…what do we do?" he asks.  
"…Nothing. **You** go. She stays with me. I'll fix the ship, get Yondu on the line. They can talk, and she'll have taken the time she needs to…process, or whatever. Then we'll catch up with you," he suggests. Peter takes this in.  
"…Okay…that…sounds good," he agrees, nodding. Rocket nods as well.  
"So, where **is** daddy-weirdo anyways?" Peter chuckles.  
"In his ship."  
"Looks like a big-ass egg to me." Peter furrows his eyebrows, just then realizing Rocket was right.  
"Yeah. It does," he utters weirdly, causing Rocket to chuckles as well.

Rocket eyes around. He sees Nebula seated quietly at the edge, one hand cuffed and the other holding a coffee mug. He furrows his eyebrows.

"Who the heck gave her coffee?" he asks.  
"I did," Peter says.  
"Why?" Rocket questions.

Nebula glares at him irritably. She'd heard the whole conversation, but was too tired to put in her input.

"Because," Peter declares somewhat louder, "I'm hoping her and Gamora, could start getting along, you know! They have no one but each other!" he shouts. Nebula rolls her eyes. Gamora gets out of her room and glares at him.  
"Subtle. Very," she tells. He smiles sheepishly at her.

The night before, when he himself had had his doubts about Ego, Gamora encouraged him to give it, this life he missed out on, a chance. He adored that she cared, and he wanted to help her deal with her own family problems as well.

"How's Petra?" Gamora asks, placing her packed bag on the floor.  
"She's fine. She's staying with me till we fix the ship, then we'll catch up with you guys," Rocket tells shortly. Drax as well, who had come out with quite the larger amount of luggage, hears this.  
"I'm assuming Groot is staying too," he notes.  
"Obviously," Rocket states. "Where is he? Is he still asleep?" Rocket asks, rising to his feet.  
"Yeah. I think. Gamora tucked him in last night," Peter tells.  
"Rocket," Gamora calls, rising as well. He stops. "Can I ask a favor of you?" she requests, wincing slightly. Rocket cocks a curious eyebrow, feeling as though he probably wasn't going to like what she had to say.  
"Depends on what it is," he retorts. Peter rolls his eyes at him, and Drax is too distracted rummaging the fridge.  
"Nebula," Gamora tells. A look of realization falls upon him.  
"You want her to stay with us," he notes.  
"I just…don't trust what she'd do if we move her around too much," Gamora says.  
"Oh, please," Nebula grimaces. Gamora glares irritably at her. Rocket nods casually.  
"It's fine. Though, just so we're clear, if she tries anything, I'll shoot her. Non-lethal, but I will," he tells in amusement, but was quite serious. Gamora smirks.  
"That's fine," she gloats.  
"You're leaving me with this **fox**?!" Nebula protests.

Rocket turns to her, unsettlingly calmly. He crouches down beside her as the others grow wary. He pulls his gun from his side, and smirks sinisterly at her. "Careful, sweetheart…I can get **very** …trigger-itchy," he says the last statement quite seriously and very darkly, even the others were slightly scared, but Nebula refuses to show fear, and suffices with a scowl.

XXXXXXXXXX


	44. 41: A Little Peace

An hour later, Petra wakes up. She feels his side of the bed, and finds it empty. Confused, she opened her eyes. Her ears focused in on the sound of a drill. He was fixing the ship.

Petra relaxes. She reluctantly and sorely gets up, picks her clothes off the floor and gets dressed, carelessly patting her hair down.

She exits her room. Rocket halts the drilling. He turns to her, smiling brightly, as if the sun had just walked in on him. "Hey," he greets. She smiles back.  
"Hey." Nebula rolls her eyes. This is what she had to sit to for god knows how long.

Groot scuttles off the couch to Petra. "I am Groot! (Mommy, look what daddy helped me make!)" he tells, happily showing off his new slingshot. Rocket smirks. Petra crouches beside Groot and grins.  
"Wow! It's so cool!" she says, taking it from him and looking it over. It was just wood and rubber, nothing impressive, but he was a kid, you know? She smiles, handing it back to him. He giggles.

She eyes around quizzically, then rises. She only sees Nebula, leaning her head back against the wall, eyes shut. "Where is everyone?" she asks Rocket. He winces.  
"Uhh, they left. We'll catch up when we're done here," Rocket tells.  
"Left?"  
"With…Ego," Rocket says uncomfortably, rubbing the back of his neck from stress, hoping she wasn't mad at him. She looked confused. He tries to explain. "I just figured you'd wanna talk to Yondu, before we follow the other creep."

Petra takes this in, then nods in content. "Yeah…You're right," she says, as if, just then, remembering last night's events.

Rocket places the driller down, approaching her. He pushes her hair behind her ear, locking eyes with hers intently. "You okay?" he asks, settling to caress her cheek. She leans in to his touch, smiling.  
"Yeah," she tells honestly, placing her hand on his. He smiles as well.  
"Why don't you go get washed up. And when you're ready, we'll give him a call," he suggests. Petra nods once more, and heads off in compliance.

A while later, Petra was done showering. After getting rounded by wolves that Rocket easily scared away by showing off some teeth, he discarded the ship and settled for setting up traps out around it. Groot was helping him as they both ate the breakfast Petra had cooked for them.

After filling two more plates, Petra sets them down, grabs the cuff keys, checks to see if Rocket was looking, then discretely heads over to Nebula, who furrows her eyebrows at her in utter confusion.

Petra leans over to the cuff, unlocking it. Nebula's eyes go wide. "What are you doing?!" she asks.  
"Well," Petra starts as she worked the cuff. "We're stranded on a planet, with no way out," she explains, taking them off and standing back, "and I made sandwiches that I thought you'd like both hands to eat," she says, standing back.

Nebula stares at her in bewilderment, rubbing her sore wrist as Petra brought their plates over. She stands across Nebula, handing one to her. A long moment passes as Nebula attempts to assess Petra's intentions.

Petra eyes her expectantly. "They're not poisoned," she states humorously. Eventually, and mainly out of starvation, Nebula takes them from her.

Petra settles down beside her. Nebula stares down at the plate suspiciously still. She then turns to Petra. "…Why?" she utters. Petra turns to Nebula. A smile crawls up her cheeks.  
"Believe it or not, Nebula…you're family," she says.

Nebula's eyes go as wide as windows. Her lips part slightly, and her heart goes mad in this unfamiliar yearning for something ironically familiar.

Petra turns her semi-attention to her sandwich. "And, you know, I have hopes that, one day, you'll be a part of us," she says, then eyes Nebula intently, "but that comes down to you," she tells seriously. She then takes a bite out of her sandwich.

Nebula takes a full minute to process. Why was she being so nice? In what way did she want to hurt her? She was in complete denial. A family, that actually wanted her? Yeah, right.

"And…would you send…one of you to a prison on Xander for a bounty?" Nebula asks with bitter sarcasm. Petra, swallows, furrowing her eyebrows at that, then she chuckles. Nebula eyes her quizzically.  
"Oh. That's not actually going to happen. I have a brother. I'd never send him off to prison, no matter how much of a dick he might be…and…if one day I do, I don't think I'd be able to live with myself…I don't want that for Gamora. Rest assured, You're not going to prison, Nebula," Petra tells seriously.

Again, Nebula attempts to process what she was being told, clarify the truth in it.

…

…She was unable to.

They catch sight of Rocket and Groot approaching them, carrying equipment. "Wow!" Rocket suddenly halts, putting a hand out in front of Groot. He pulls out his gun, aiming it at Nebula. "Red, get away!" he tells. Petra stands abruptly as Nebula rolls her eyes. She put her hands out.  
"It's okay! I un-cuffed her!"  
"Wha-Why?!"

Petra turns to Nebula. "She's not going anywhere," she tells. Rocket holds his ground.  
"As far as I'm concerned, she can go to hell!"  
"She's Gamora's **sister** , Rocket!" Petra exclaims.  
"Gamora's sister, who tried to **kill** her!"

Nebula rolls her eyes, and Petra acknowledges the truth in his words, truth she already knew. But bygones are bygones for Petra. Time passes. Wounds heal. Room for amends must be made. Not too quickly though, besides, Gamora wasn't even around to fix anything.

"Look, I'll cuff her back up after she's done eating anyways," she tells. Nebula's heart slightly sinks at that.  
"And until such a time happens, when she decides to kill **us**?!"  
"She's not going to."  
"Red, I love you, but you're no psychic," he tells seriously. Petra is unable from keeping a smile to spread out upon hearing her favorite three words come out of his mouth. She shakes her head slightly, approaching him and pulling down the gun as Nebula eyed them curiously and Groot stood awkwardly aside still.

Rocket's eyes remain fixated on Nebula as he let Petra pull the gun down, merely out of curiosity, and the assurance that he was still alert.

"She needs us. She won't hurt us. Please trust me," she says sweetly, causing Rocket to lock eyes with hers and growl irritably. She knew he couldn't resist that tone. She grins.

Nebula had lost count of the amount of times she'd rolled her eyes just that day. Becoming part of **them**? Yeah right.

…But…

it…

didn't sound…

all too bad.

XXXXX

A while later, Petra and Rocket are outside, setting the traps together, music quietly tuning from the stereo. "Remind me again why we're doing this," Petra requests curiously, turning the screw several times tightly on the contraption against the tree. Not that she was complaining. She loved this scene, working with him on things they both knew and enjoyed making, with music in the background, and that calming peace with just each other's company.  
"I told you. Wolves…" he says simply. She chuckles slightly in disbelief. Rocket was rarely afraid of anything, let alone **wolves** , that he could deliberately control with one of his sexy growls, making her knees grow weak.  
"Seriously?" she asks.

Rocket tenses, sighing tiredly. She glances at him, then furrows her eyebrows. Something was off. She halts her action and turns to him expectantly. "What aren't you telling me?" she questions warily. Rocket stops as well, freezes almost. Was he that readable? Nah. Just with her. He debates sharing his assumptions, guessing they would do her no good…But if he was right...It was just speculation for the time being. Rocket resumes tweaking, refusing eye contact. She notices.  
"We've tried Yondu more than once now," he hinted. Petra processes the meaning his words were meant to hold. Slowly, she nods.  
"…You think something's wrong?" she asks worriedly, chest falling heavy at the thought of Yondu in trouble.  
"I'm not saying there is," he affirms first, making temporary eye contact for emphasis, then looking away once more, hesitantly continuing. "It's just…if there is. You know, the Ravagers don't like us very much, especially after they found out we'd pulled their leg with the Orb thing," he explains.  
"They still got the money!" complains Petra irritably.  
"Yeah, they were still fooled. Pretty sure pride is high on their plates, or, whatever," he tells. Petra inhales sharply in concern. Rocket turns to her seriously. "Look, it's just a precaution. No harm in keeping safe, that's all…I'm sure Yondu's fine. He's a tough crack," he smirks slightly. Petra smirks as well at that very true fact.

Oh, the day Yondu found out Rocket and Petra were dating was quite the day. The two butted heads on most occasions. Yondu was being rudely protective of Petra, but so was Rocket who, at that point, no longer doubted his capability of doing the sweet red-head no harm, **ever** , and he made it abruptly clear to Yondu, several times, till the old man simply gave in, and believed it, even growing a certain amount of respect for Rocket's persistence and newly found sense of confidence.

XXXXX

"I am Groot! (Die, filthy beast!)" Groot exclaims at the tiny alien action-figure in his hand as he combated it with the Harrison Ford soldier toy.  
"Do you **ever** shut up?" groans Nebula from across him on the ledge. She had her head leaned back on the wall, and her hand still cuffed to the pole. At least now she had a full stomach.

Petra and Rocket tasked Groot with keeping an eye on Nebula from a safe distance while they worked outside. He had a panic-button on him that immediately relayed to either of the parents should Groot press it in case of danger.

He turned to Nebula, scowling irritably. "I am Groot. (You're mean.)" he tells.  
"And you're annoying," Nebula retorts. Groot's eyes widen at her.  
"I…am Groot. (You…can understand me?)" he asks.  
"Unfortunately," she says. Groot grins.  
"I am Groot. (Cool!)" he exclaims. Nebula groans again. Groot scoots a little closer to her on the floor. "I am Groot. (I like your arm.)" he tells, pointing a look at the metal one, glad that he could finally express his opinion with her. Nebula furrows her eyebrows at him. "I am Groot. (Daddy has metal parts too. They make him strong.)" he states proudly.  
"You realize he is not your **actual** father, right?" she asks irritably. Groot rolls his eyes.  
"I am Groot. (I **know**.)" Nebula falls back again. "…I am Groot. (…Mommy says you should be nice if you want people to treat you nicely.)" he attempts to advise.  
"Your mother is stupid," Nebula retorts. Groot glares at her.  
"I am Groot! (This is why you're **cuffed**!)"  
"Ohhh, please!" she complains. The last thing she would take was advice from a kid. A **tree** kid.

It would be a long day with those three around her…At least the girl was bearable…and the kid was kinda cute. _'What the_ ** _hell_** _is wrong with you?!'_ Nebula thought to herself. She couldn't possibly be **this** desperate for a…family…could she?

...Maybe she was…Maybe she was tired, just **tired** …

…of fighting.

XXXXX

It was after sunset. Half of what needed to be fixed in the ship, was. They had spare parts in the basement, lots of spare parts. Reforming them to fit wasn't easy, but possible. A few holes left could easily be dealt with once it was ready to fly to the nearest market, but that was not possible just yet.

Also, Rocket had successfully set a number of functional traps that he'd memorized the positions of outside the area around the ship. Should anything happen, they'd be ready. And should the traps go off, they'd be notified.

"Uhh, Rocket," Petra called. She was seated near the computer, trying Yondu again, when the monitor started beeping with thermal detections.  
"Yeah?" he replied from near the damaged section. They'd managed the lower half of it first, so crouching down was suitable for cover. He discarded the hammer, moving by Groot on the floor, and Nebula lying down on a blanket and pillow Petra had set for her.

Rocket came to stop behind Petra, placing his hands on the back of her chair, patting back her hair, just to feel it. She points at the screen, leaning her head back into him for comfort. He furrows his eyebrows. "That's a lot of movement," he notes worriedly. At that, Nebula rises.  
"The Ravagers?" Petra asks warily.  
"Maybe," Rocket replies. Nebula eyes the monitor. Her eyes widen.  
"There's too many. Let me help," she tells, hoping that by helping, **if** she had to, they'd let her go. Groot listens intently.  
"Nice try," Rocket tells her. She scowls at him.  
"What do we do? The traps won't be enough-" Petra starts.  
"They'll take most of them down. We'll do the rest," he says. "But a lot of them are out of range, I'll have to get out there to set em off," he says. Petra doesn't like the sound of that. She rises from her chair, following after Rocket, who was gearing up.  
"I'll come with you," she says.  
"I am Groot. (Me too.)" Rocket chuckles at them happily. Look at them. Always so eager to fight. Always there to have his back. But…lately, he'd been feeling responsible for them, like they were his to protect. The fights were getting tense. He'd keep them out if ever possible, and this persistence hasn't become obvious enough for Petra to notice yet.  
"The less we are, the better," he tells. "I'll use the trees, set em off, then come back here," Trees. Right. He was the only one of the Guardians that could swiftly use them as vantage points. This somewhat assured Petra.  
"I am Groot! (But I want to kick some bad guy a-)"  
"Ah!" Rocket warns. Petra smirks as Groot catches himself, grinning sheepishly at Rocket in apology. "You **will**. You and mommy will sit here, by the barricade, shoot anything that moves…except me," he says. Groot ponders. He still gets to shoot something, so, cool.

Nebula eyes them in disbelief.

"Be careful," Petra tells Rocket, pulling him in for a kiss. She cups his face and tip-toes up, taking his lips in hers. He moans happily, placing a hand on her lower back to kiss her firmly back. They then pull apart. Nebula thanks the heavens. She was about to puke. "Call if you need me," Petra says seriously.  
"Will do," he assures. He then turns to Groot. "Take care of your mom," he tells, half-jokingly. Groot loved being thought responsible, and was always trying to prove himself. He nods happily as Petra chuckles. Nebula eyes open to the scene suddenly.

…A family…

That's what she was missing…

That's what they had…right there.

Rocket turns to Petra once more. "Stay safe. And watch her," he points at Nebula with distrust, who rolls her eyes at him. "She better not be **un** -cuffed when I get back," Rocket warns. Petra grins mischievously. "I'm **serious** ," he tells.  
"Yeah. Yeah," she dismisses.

Not very assured, Rocket moves out, closing the barricade behind him.

XXXXXXXXXX


	45. 42: Bad Blood

Ten. Fourteen. Almost twenty. Coming from all directions, but far enough, he could see through his HVs, for him to manage reaching a good vantage point.

Not that tree. Not that one. Not. Not…Yes!

Rocket sprinted forward and clawed his way up the tree bark swiftly, the tree he'd seen held a sturdy enough branch. Rocket insured that there were several other heavy-branched trees about him for urgent transportation. Once done, he re-concentrated on his targets.

Rocket could see targets moving towards the diameter surrounding the ship, smirking at the fact that most of them would be out cold in three…two…one!

How? Easy. One or more of those idiots activated the tree-traps he'd been working on all day, letting loose hundreds of mini-tranquilizer darts!

His eyes darted back and forth, scouring for strays that had managed to survive. Once found, he closed one eye, memorized their positions, and shot them down one by one in the range of fifteen seconds, with a little help from Petra within the ship, or what was left of it, itself.

The further Ravagers grow wary with the sound of bullets, and become more alert. They are able to catch sight of Rocket leaping from tree to another with the speed of a bat, and the size of a human, two things that scared most of them to a craze.

They shot blindly upwards.

Panicked, but wary, Rocket thought about using his Proto-Orb, but thankfully didn't need to, and had managed to hide safely for a second, long enough for him to trigger-activate the next set of traps: Pulsers. Basically, devices the shape of land mines, and the ability to toy with gravity within a certain diameter.

Pulser after Pulser, Rocket set off, unable to hold back laughter as the Ravagers were thrown up and down as if jumping on trampolines! The sound of their childish screaming made it all the more hysterical. When he figured they couldn't take any more, he moved on to the other, supposedly final, group.

After getting there tree-high, Rocket pulled out one of his favorite new multi-targeting, electric-shock weapons. As the Ravagers moved silently, cautiously, beneath him, he leveled the rifle, locked on up to **eight** targets at once, then pulled the trigger. The targets hit convulsed vigorously, their skeletons momentarily visible, before they succumbed to the ground, out cold. Rocket acted quickly before the rest were fully aware of what was happening, and shot them down one after the other.

Rocket smirks.

That was easier than he'd expected.

Rocket jumps down to the ground.

"Stay right where you are!" a Ravager shouts from across him. Rocket freezes at the sound. Had it not been for the fact that he could hear another one behind him, probably with an aimed gun, the one opposite him would already be down.

Rocket still had a hand near his weapons. When he realized they weren't going to shoot, he raises his hands up, attempting to lure them into thinking it was safe to approach him. did not disappoint, and each cautiously came closer.

"We got one, boss," the one behind said, probably into an ear-piece. Rocket tenses at this. They couldn't be talking to Yondu, so who was this? That wasn't what had rifled Rocket up though, it was what the man had said: 'one'. So, they were clearly looking for the rest, the rest being his kid, and his girlfriend!...Not on his watch.

Rocket lets them get close enough…then strikes. Rocket punches the front guy's arm, throwing the gun out of his hand as he ducked, knowing that, out of panic, the guy behind would shoot, and he did shoot…his **friend**. Picking up the gun, Rocket quickly spun, shooting the man behind him as well.

Too easy.

…

Then, all to suddenly, but quickly enough, Rocket hears **it** …

the sound of something wheezing through the air, quickly, and coming his way!

And in a blink, **it** was in front of his face, the Yaka Arrow, Yondu's favorite and most efficient weapon.

…

"Crap," Rocket breathes, just as easily defeated. There was nothing he could do. One wrong move, and he's hit.

This was Yondu's arrow, controlled by the fin-shaped device connected to a certain part of Yondu's brain that can amplify his specific whistling frequencies to navigate the arrow.

When a figure who certainly was **not** Yondu, appeared out of the woods, Rocket knew, Yondu was in trouble. The only way the Zatoan would give up the arrow, would be over his dead body…Rocket half-suspected that was what had happened.

The man approaching Rocket, with a fleet of Ravagers behind him, was big. He had a long, messy and filthy-looking, brown beard, and hair. A really screwed up, pink face. With the device on his head that controlled the arrow, he was what would be described as really bad news.

XXXXX

Back at the ship, Petra was monitoring Rocket and the Ravagers. She'd pushed the computer towards the barricades, so she could watch, and keep an eye out for any intruders. Groot was beside her, crossbow aimed. Nebula was furious, constantly attempting to convince Petra to set her free 'to help'.

Petra wasn't stupid, she knew that Nebula only saw what was happening as a chance to escape. That was not happening…But then, something else happened.

Things were going well at first; she could see most of the numbers fall. Rocket and the traps were getting the job done, but…when Petra saw the flash on the monitor, she immediately knew what it was. Her assumptions were confirmed when the movement on the screen limited to one area. Rocket wasn't moving, neither was anyone else. They had him…

He needed her.

"Shit!" she speaks, panic creeping into her chest.

" **What**?" Nebula asks tensely.

"They have him pinned with the arrow. If it really is Yondu, what the **hell** is he doing?!...I have to get out there," she says determinedly, rising to her feet to prep.

"What?! Are you **demented**?! It is very obviously a **trap**!" Nebula states firmly.

"Well, I can't just **sit** here, Nebula! I **have** to help Rocket."

Nebula rolls her eyes. The red-head was going to get herself killed, and the kid!

Nebula panics as well.

It didn't feel right.

It just didn't feel right.

All that she **was** thinking of, was the fact that these so called Ravages came here by a ship…that was her ticket out of here…Suddenly, she was feeling more worked up about the **safety** of the idiots opposite her, than her making an escape!

Tense, and frustrated, Nebula takes a minute to think. Her thoughts race with solutions, forging links between each idea, till one was stable enough to present. "…I am the daughter of Thanos. Set me free, and I will ensure they do not harm him," she says. Petra scoffs at this. Groot is fearful of all outcomes, but is determined to help.

"You really think they'll listen to you?" Petra asks sarcastically.

"Thanos has killed **thousands** of people, has wiped out **dozens** of planets. No one has ever opposed him, and lived to see the sun rise again…I…am the devil's daughter. They **will** listen."

Petra and Groot stare at Nebula wide-eyed, fear-stricken as well.

With the events of the current situation, it was easy to look past what had been said, and see the possibility of Nebula, of all people, getting them through this.

One piece of the puzzle still didn't fit though.

"…Why would you help us?" Petra asks seriously. Nebula clenches her jaw. Why **was** she helping them?

"I have my reasons," she simply gave. "And we are wasting **time**!" Petra grows wary at that.

…

…

She heads for the keys.

Nebula smiles in relief.

XXXXX

"That's right, rodent. Hands up," the man smirked. Rocket frowned, glaring irritably at him.

"Who the hell are you?" he asks.

"I…am Taserface," he says, utterly serious. Rocket is shocked by this, unable to hold pick a snicker.

"I'm sorry, what?" he grins.

"Taserface," the man repeats loudly and proudly. This time, Rocket does laugh.

"What is so funny?!" Taserface asks furiously.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," Rocket says, catching his breath. He was not in an easy position right now. He really shouldn't laugh at the man holding an arrow to his face. "Right then…Taserface," he smirks. "Where's your captain, huh? Where's Yondu?" he asks, seriously this time.

"That weak idiot's reign has expired!"

Rocket takes this in…Now he was worried, worried about Yondu…Does this mean…he's dead?

Oh god…

"And soon, yours and your friends' will be too. Queen Ayesha has put a bounty on your heads, for a handsome reward. Now, make this painless for yourself, and tell me where the rest are," the man says.

From within the crowd, Kraglin grimaces worriedly. He had not wished for the captain to be overthrown. And he certainly wasn't happy about what was happening, but after Taserface executed all those who remained loyal to Yondu, he was afraid.

"…I-" Rocket was going to say he didn't know, but one of the man yelled to look behind, and what Rocket saw shook him to the core.

Petra, and Groot, held at gun-point, by Nebula.

A wrath he'd never felt before took him over. "You fucking b-" he growled at Nebula, but was cut off by the Quill.

"Rocket," Petra, whose hands were raised, quickly called. He turns to her. "It's a smoot ride," she says intently.

Though still confused, Rocket easies up. What she'd said: 'smooth ride' was code for having a plan.

What plan involved being held at gun point, he didn't freaking know!...but…he trusted Petra. She wasn't stupid, and she sure as hell would never put Groot in danger…If she had a plan, she had a plan.

"Move," Nebula spat at the two. Petra and Groot started towards Rocket, who wanted to take them in his arms and keep them there, as if they'd be safe, but he was afraid to move, afraid of provoking any of the surrounding threats, which were too many.

The crowd began to whisper about Nebula in fear, how she was Thanos's daughter…How she was ruthless.

XXXXXXXXXX


	46. 43: The Real Story

"Hey!" Rocket shouts at the Ravager who had rudely pushed him into the cell, almost causing Groot in front of him to trip. The Ravager shuts the cell door. Rocket grips the bar-nets. "You're on my list," he spits threateningly. The Ravager gives him a doubtful smirk before walking off.

"Rocket," Petra calls. Rocket turns to her, the frustration clear as crystal on his face.

"You wanna tell me what the hell is going on?!" he demands.

"I-"

"Peta?" a voice calls. They look to see Yondu, appearing from the inner part of the cell. Their eyes go wide.

"Yondu!" she exclaims, rushing into his arms in relief. Yondu, though shocked, returns her embrace. Rocket and Groot approach them. "Thank god, you're alive!" she utters. Yondu winces at that. He was thankful too, cause, just a few minutes ago, seemed like the end of the line…

"Yeah, course I am," he tells her for assurance. He then pulls her back. She observes his face warily. The fresh cuts and bruises, the device on his head un-evident, seemingly ripped off…What on earth had happened to him? Her heart clenches.

Yondu catches sight of Rocket and Groot. Rocket nods at him. "Hey, Yondu," he greets tiredly. Yondu furrows his eyebrows at him. He remains confused as he feels Groot hugging at his leg happily. He turns to the idiotic-seeming adults in the situation.

"What in the name of bat-shit-crazy are you all doin' here?!" he asks in bewilderment and grand concern.

"You know, I'd like to know too," Rocket crosses his arms, glaring Petra's way. She raises her hands in a calming motion.

"There were too many of them. This was the safest option," she says.

Yondu's gaze softens. After the overthrow, and half his men getting killed for loyalty in the process, he didn't think there were enough Ravagers to capture the Guardians…guess he was wrong…

"And Nebula's on the loose because?!" Rocket pushes.

"Will you **relax**! She's working on getting us out of here," Petra says.

"And you **believed** that?!" Rocket retorted in mock.

"What did you want me to **do** , Rocket?!"

"I…" he sighs at coming out empty-handed. "We're screwed," he lets out instead, pinching his temple.

"I hate to agree with that," Yondu adds.

"With **that** attitude, we **are**!" exclaims Petra. Groot watches them with concern. He hides his face in Yondu's leg, still hugging it. Yondu gives him a soft pat on the back, pained at the fact that the innocent kid was involved in this mess.

It hits Yondu suddenly. "Where's Peter? Where're the others?" he asks in confusion. Petra's face grows grim. Rocket eyes her worriedly. Being angry with her or her naïve decisions was never something that kept him from caring, even if she'd stabbed him in the freaking back…he'd never stop caring.

"Um…they're…" she tries uncomfortably.

"They're with Ego. Sound familiar?" Rocket adds for her.

Yondu widens his eyes in shock…and horror.

"We have to get out of here…" he says. They eye him perplexedly.

"Why?" Petra asks suspiciously. Yondu heads back to the back of the cell, where there were many shelves with useless scrap that he was hopelessly failing at making useful. Petra follows after him in haste. "Yondu! **Why**?!" she pushes.

"I-hhh," he sighs, straightening his back and turning to face her with a tilted head, a look of pure focus on his face and in his eyes, as if conveying a hidden message. "That bastard…is not who you think he is. You have no idea…what he's planning," he says in a tone of actual fear, a tone Petra had never heard him use before.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" Rocket pushes, coming to stand by Petra with Groot close to his side.

"There isn't enough **time** to explain!"

" **Make** time!" Petra shouts suddenly, causing them to turn to her in shock. She takes a step forward, whilst attempting to calm her breathing. "I just spent the past **fifteen** hours… **fighting** a reality where **you** were the one to take me away from my **home**...my **real** dad…Fighting a reality…where you…took away my life…" she says painfully, tears breaming her eyes. She kept a stern expression though. Yondu's face falls with sorrow, and Rocket gazes between them warily. Groot is scared and confused. "So…I'm gonna need you to **take** a minute…and tell me **exactly** …what I need to know…" she says, an almost threat in her tone.

A heavy moment of silence passed, though her words were still echoing across the suddenly foggy air.

Slowly, Yondu nodded.

He walked past Petra and Rocket, to the front of the cell. He slid down to the ground as the rest followed and he stretched his legs forward, feigning comfort as if it could suddenly happen.

Rocket followed suit opposite him, and pulled Petra to his side as Groot climbed onto his lap.

Yondu spoke.

"I was a Kree battle-slave for twenty years when Stakar freed me," he starts. Petra's already heard this sad story, and she'd told Rocket about it at some point. The Quill-girl impatiently waited for something new. "He offered me a place in the Ravagers. Said all I needed to do was adhere to the code…But I was young and greedy…and stupid…I'd…met with Ego then…He offered me a deal…and I accepted."

"…What deal?" Petra asks worriedly. Yondu's face hardens with hatred.

"That son of a bitch has dozens of kids of his throughout the freakin' **galaxy** ," he says. This shocks the people opposite him greatly. "Sick bastard. But I…never asked questions. The money was too good…Every now and then, he'd ask me to go…fetch the kids for him, that included you and Pete…" he resumes. If possible, Petra feels even worse from the truth she'd thought would put her at ease. Rocket notes this. He can hear her dying heartbeats, can feel her tension, can physically feel her pain course through his own body. "Too late did I find out that…all those kids I'd supposedly sent to their dad…I was also…sending to their deaths…"

The others grow wary by this suddenly, sitting up. "He **killed** them?!" Rocket exclaims. He notes Groot shuffling uncomfortably on his lap, with an increased heartrate. Quickly, Rocket pulls out a mini-retractable pair of headphones from his belt, and slaps it onto Groot's ears, then hands him his mini-action figure, and pulled him closer as he scolded himself for not doing this sooner. Yondu waits for him to finish what he was doing, then replies.

"Yes…"

"Wha- **Why**?!" Petra retorts. " **What**?!" she asks out loud in a mixture of horror, confusion, denial, and shock. Seeing her this way, Yondu was hesitant to continue, but he had to.

"Supposedly, he was…looking for something in them, something that had to do with…his abilities. It doesn't matter, the point is…when I found out…there was no way I was handing you and your brother over to him then. I was…protecting you…" he explains with honesty he wasn't accustomed to using. He didn't want them turning their backs on him…He wouldn't be able to take it…

not again…

not them...

At that, Petra feels her chest somewhat relax. Her gaze softens on Yondu, and Rocket is grateful that the truth was not all sour.

"Anyways, when Stakar, and the other captains found out that I…broke the code…they exiled me. The ones who followed sure as hell weren't the trust-worthy type…When I refused to follow after your bounty from that bitch, Ayesha, they jumped at the chance to call me ' **soft'** , overthrow me…Guess, in the end, it's what I deserve…"

Petra knew…she should…and she wanted…to comfort him…to tell him he's wrong…that he deserved better…that, in the end…he was protecting them…But…everything that had just been said…was sitting on her mind like an elephant,

heavy and huge,

invading all her thoughts,

all her emotions.

It was suddenly hard to breathe.

She rose to her feet, washing a hand through her and attempting to fight back stubborn tears, as well as…

a giggle?!

She giggled.

The two males furrowed their eyebrows at her.

She giggled again! "Wow!" she uttered, walking off to the back side of the cell. Rocket and Yondu shared a concerned look, before rising to their feet after her, Yondu lingering back with the knowledge that she probably didn't want to talk to him. Groot curiously followed after them, though still had his speakers on, and toy in hand.

"Red," Rocket called, approaching her warily. "You okay?" he asked weirdly as she continued to grin, and occasionally giggle, though ironically still in tears. At the question, Petra laughed out. He widened his eyes in bewilderment. She bent over in laughter, with the two opposite her uncertain in every way, how to act. After half a second, she put her hand out at them.

"I'm sorry," she breathed, still grinning. "It's just…my real dad is a murdering sociopath!" she laughed again. The boys shared another curious glance before turning to her once more. Yondu eyed her in pure pity…It was a sad sight, for her to be in so much pain, that laughter, of all things, was the only way to relieve it.

Rocket spared her a soft smile for humor as he slowly approached her. He softly pulled her face up to level with her eyes. She calmed down in his touch…and soon enough…the sorrow was evident yet again.

As if to hide it, or hide **from** it, she buried her face in his chest, wrapping her arms around his back tightly as if for safety. He held her closely, patting down her hair as his mind worked a million thoughts at once of how to help her.

Yondu watched from the side, gaze drifted off to a darker place where he was still somehow to blame.

"…It **is** a **little** funny," Rocket uttered, causing the red-head to laugh weakly.

"U-umm. Captain?" a voice called. They all turn to see Kraglin. Everyone tenses. He then throws in…Yondu's head device!

They eye him in shock.

"N-Nebula says try not to die," he states. Petra smirks widely, the tears far gone.

"Told you," she tells the other two coolly. Rocket rolls his eyes and Yondu smirks as well. Groot takes off his speakers at the sight of a new person he'd seen before. Kraglin then turns to Yondu, an apologetic look in his eyes.

"…I didn't mean to do a mutiny…They killed all my friends…" he says in sorrow. Yondu eyes him in understanding, pushing back the flashbacks of him watching all those who had remained loyal…die…before his eyes.

"…Go get the Third Quadrant ready for release," he orders firmly.

XXXXXXXXXX


	47. 44: Three Steps

It takes Rocket and Petra fifteen minutes, with some help from Groot, to reposition Yondu's new and improved Yaka head fin. With the return of his ability to control the arrow, the rest seemed almost too easy.

The four made some noise, so their captives were forced to open the cell to deal with them,

and that was all it took...

Guns.

Shots.

Flying arrows.

Groot and a crossbow.

The last thing it was, was sane.

Accidently, or deliberately, Yondu's arrow breaches the gas in the ship, causing it to soon so blow up.

Time to go.

They make their way to the Third Quadrant, a mini-ship ready for evacuation. Kraglin was waiting inside. Petra asks about Nebula, and he says that she had already left hours ago.

With nothing left to do, they flew off…

Before dying, and out of spite, Taserface informs the Sovereigns that the Guardians had escaped, and that they should follow.

As if they didn't have enough on their plates already…

XXXXX

On the ship, they try to contact the rest of the Guardians, and come to no avail. Panicked, they decide to head to Ego's planet first. The Milano can wait. Not like it's going anywhere.

Rocket takes charge of setting the coordinates to the nearest click to Peter and the others, agreeing with the rest that they should head there as soon as possible before Ego gets the chance to do anything.

Hopefully they can just take them and leave.

After apologizing for the tenth time to Yondu, Kraglin takes a side, gathering some weapons from around the ship to occupy himself. Petra was in the bathroom. Groot was napping. Yondu makes his way to Rocket, flopping down on the chair beside him.

Rocket glances at him. Noting his uncomfortable expression, Rocket asks: "You okay?" Yondu's eyes dart to him, taking a minute to process that he had even spoken, before exhaling deeply and looking onwards once more.

"Never better," he lets out sarcastically. Rocket smirks at the cold humor. Thoughts then rise in his head. Yondu's expression was troubling, one of self-loathing and guilt. Rocket gulps. It couldn't have been easy…everything that had just happened.

Rocket didn't like it when his things were taken from him, and in Yondu's case, losing a kingdom…a throne…probably wasn't easy either.

Rocket considered though that not only was it all taken from Yondu, it was done so through betrayal…He lost his people. Half holding daggers…Half dead…

The look on his face…he couldn't possibly be…

…Rocket decides to speak…"You know…it wasn't your fault…" he says. Yondu turns to him perplexedly…"What happened to your men…" Rocket clarifies. Yondu's face averts to shame once more. He considers Rocket's words, then scoffs, turning away in refusal. "Hey, don't scoff at me, Udonta!" Rocket warns half humorously. Yondu turns to him again. "You know I'm the **last** person to sugarcoat shit, so when I say it's not your fault, I'm not just trying to spare your feelings and crap!" Yondu takes a minute to consider this as well. He smiles slightly, then shakes his head.

"I'll never get you, fur," he says. Rocket gives a slight chuckle, placing his arms over his head and leaning back.

"I'm an open book," he retorts. "And quit calling me 'fur'," he glares. Yondu chuckles in turn. Rocket turns on the wheeled chair out of boredom and catches sight of Groot laid on one of the long chairs. He furrows his eyebrows, being reminded by something else. "What happened with Ego wasn't your fault either…" he says. Yondu cocks an eyebrow. Rocket does not look at him. "You did what you had to do," he continues. Yondu notes then, as he'd noted many times before, that shared bond of fatherhood the two of them had, on some level…He smiles…then frowns at the words spoken.

"…I don't think Petra shares that opinion…" he solemnly says. Rocket turns to him in confusion, then understands.

"Give her time…She's just pissed, but she doesn't blame you…I mean, what would she blame you for?! Keeping her from getting killed by that psychopath?!" Rocket states obviously. Yondu considers this, then laughs slightly.

"Yeah, I guess you're right…"

"Course I am," Rocket tells proudly. Yondu rolls his eyes at him.

A beeping alerts them just as Petra walks in. Rocket and Yondu turn to the controls, grabbing hold and readying to move. "We're here," Rocket says pointedly at the first click. "Everybody buckle up. Groot! Groot! Get up!" Rocket shouts. Groot irritably rises from sleep.

"Buckle up, baby," Petra says to Groot as she rushes towards him to pull his belt. She then sits beside him as Kraglin does the same across the deck.

And they swoop in…

XXXXX

About twenty clicks later, they finally make it to planet Ego. The Third Quadrant divides to two. One ship goes in, the other Kraglin parks out of atmosphere in case of an emergency.

The four go in, seeing, all but Yondu, the inner planet environment for the first time, all vivid and bubbly and gooey.

Petra…feels something…like a surge of…energy…course through her…momentarily…then it's gone…but…she still feels…different. She couldn't name what it was. It wasn't an emotional feeling, like that of anxiousness or fear, but a physical one. She wasn't in pain…she just wasn't the same…

She ignored it.

On the monitor, they catch a large amount of energy charge within the supposed palace, and recognized one as Peter! Noting danger, Rocket moved down to weapons control while Petra and Yondu drove on, setting course to crash into the building and interrupt whatever the hell was happening!

"Here goes!" Petra warns.

And crash! Into the glass!

They see Ego.

"Hey there, jackass!" yells Yondu.

And boom! Smash his ass!

XXXXX

Jolting, Petra notes what they'd just done. "Shit!" Was he dead?

Outside, in the palace, the other Guardians rejoice at seeing their friends. Groot waves at them from the open hatch. Petra climbs down after them.

She sees them. "Guys, this way!" she beckons.

"Oh, thank god!" Gamora breathes. Petra's eyes focus in on Drax and Gamora helping Peter off the floor. She catches sight of Mantis by Drax's side, and…

"Nebula?! What are **you** doing here?!" she asks in confusion.

"Long story," Nebula retorts, walking past Petra to the hatch.

"Not really," Gamora notes coldly. Petra doesn't have time to process as she helps them out.

"What the hell happened to you guys?!" she asks, walking beside Gamora to keep out of their way.

"Ego happened," Drax answered. "Where the hell have you been?!" he asks.

"Ravagers happened!" Petra retorts.

"What?!" Peter exclaims.

They reach the ship and Petra and Mantis climb and, along with Rocket, help the other three up.

"Glad to see everyone's still kicking," Rocket says, relieved.

"It's not over yet! That was only an extension of his true self. He will be back!" Mantis warns.

"What the hell is **she** doing here? Doesn't she **work** for him?!" Rocket asks, pulling out his gun. Drax steps forth.

"Touch her, and I will break you…" he says. Rocket's eyes widen.

"Okay…" he replies, raising his hands in surrender. He then sees Nebula. " **You**!"

"Ugh." Nebula retorts.

"Yeah, feeling's mutual! What're **you** doing here?!"

"She was trying to kill me. It's…over now," Gamora replies.

" **Nebula**!" Petra scolds.

"She's still breathing!" Nebula lets out tiredly. Noting Mantis's tension, Drax says:

"Can we please focus! How do we kill a celestial?" he asks.

"There's a center to him," Peter answers, seeing as how the crazed bastard, Ego, had tried to brainwash Peter into joining him! "His brain, his soul…whatever it is! Some sort of protective shell!"  
"It's in the caravans, below the surface!" Mantis adds as Peter climbs up to the flight deck.

Just then, the ship jerks and shakes. The Guardians eye around warily as Yondu closes up the hatch and attempts to move the ship. All around them, it seemed, giant, light producing **tentacles** succumbed the ship!

Up top, Peter climbs, and is confused to see Yondu. Petra rushes past him and to her seat once more. Pushing forward with Yondu, they made it out the palace at a trippy altitude, but the tentacles still held them in place!

"Shit! Thrusters are out!" Petra calls to attention, working quickly to get them up and running again.

"Guess I should be glad we were skinny little kids. Otherwise, you'd have given us to this manic!" Peter says from behind them, gripping both their chairs to keep himself from falling back.

"That's not why he kept us, Peter." Petra speaks, still attempting to free the ship. "He knew." Yondu is relieved to hear her say this.

"He **knew** what Ego was doing?!" Peter asks in shock and slight disgust, thinking that Yondu had known, and had still given him all those kids!

"I found out. After that, I sure as hell wasn't just gonna give you and your sister over to him!" Yondu says. Peter is relieved by this, then furrows his eyebrows.

"…Then what in the world was it about threatening to **eat** us?!" Peter exclaims.

"That was being funny!" Yondu says as if it were obvious, causing Petra to laugh out, even though it wasn't that funny.

"God, you people have issues…" Rocket says from beneath them on the weapons level.

"Of course we have issues!" Peter starts.

A huge, skeletal figure appears across them outside the ship, all white and glowing and shaking, with its mouth abnormally agape!

"That's our **freakin'** **father**!" Peter resumes.

"Thrusters are back up!" Yondu calls.

"Peter! Get your ass downstairs and help out Rocket!" Petra says as her and Yondu zoom the ship forward out the window.

"Fine!" Peter sighs, stumbling back downstairs.

"Where the hell's my ship, Rocket?!" Peter asks, seating himself beside him as all feel gravity fight to pull them down.

" **Our** ship. And it's safe, don't worry about it. Worry about **us**!" Rocket retorts.

Seeing the ship fly on, Peter shouts from below: "Guys! Move us down! Ego wants to eradicate the universe! We have to kill him!" he says.

"Ughhhhghh!" Petra groans furiously, complying.

Rocket and Peter aim most laser-guns at the ground, breaking into the planet's surface!

They crash and smash into every other rock and rock-wall, only avoiding a few as the boys cleared them out with the lasers. Everyone else highly struggled to keep their footing as the ship shook and jerked with constant rhythm, making Groot think he was gonna hurl.

"I mean, I know this is totally not the time, but imagine how high up we can jack our prices being two-times galaxy savers!" Rocket grins.

"Dude!" Peter glares. Rocket laughs out in amusement.

"The crappy puppy is so cute; he makes me wanna die!" Mantis exclaims from behind.

"Did she just call me a **puppy**?!" Rocket shouts wrathfully. Now it was Peter's turn to laugh. Petra stifles her own and Yondu chuckles.

"Laugh it out, Quill! I just **saved** your ungrateful ass!" Rocket retorts.

"Yeah! Yeah!" Peter rolls his eyes.

"Quill! Tell me why Ego wants you here!" Yondu demands, just then thinking of it. Peter grimaces.

Everything he was shown…Everything he was told…His mom's death…He killed her…

Ego killed her.

Shaking it off, Peter focuses on answering Yondu's obviously important question. "He needs my genetic connection to the light…to help destroy the universe," he explains.

"Light?!" Rocket asks weirdly.

"Yeah. Long story. He tried to teach me how to control the power."

"Wait up! Wait up! Genetic connection. This mean Red's got it too?" Rocket adds curiously. Petra and Yondu cock an eyebrow.

"Yeah. He said it was most likely, and that if she were here he'd have taught her too."

"Teach me what?! How to help destroy the universe?!" Petra asks in disgust and shock. She panics slightly, uncertain how to react to the fact that apparently, there was something inside her she couldn't control, and didn't even know existed.

"Yep…" Peter replies grimly.

"Wow," Rocket utters perplexedly, also getting worried.

"So could you? Control it?" Yondu asks.

"A little…I made a ball," Peter replies. Rocket snickers beside him. Peter shoots him a dirty look.

"A **ball**?" Yondu retorts disapprovingly.

"I thought as hard as I could! It was all I could come up with!" Peter defends.

"Then what the hell were you thinking of?!" Rocket grins mischievously.

"Shut up!" Peter retorts.

"You're not supposed to **think**! When I make this arrow fly, you think I use my head?!" Yondu lectures.

The ship then vigorously shakes, the hatch door shredding off in the process, crashing finally into the inner part of the planet, more bizarre looking than the outside.

Rocket looks back to check on them. He sees the hatch is gone, and calls to Groot. "Groot! Here. Come here!" he shouts. Groot hurries to him warily. Rocket scoops him up and places him on his lap securely. The others behind watch the inner planet through the gaping hole.

Petra feels that surge again…that energy…

Peter feels his strengthen, assuring him that the core was close by.

Mantis moves back in search for their target, sees it, and calls it out. "There. That's Ego's core." Everyone looks. Their eyes go wide in wander at the giant sphere held in the midst of a complex system of material as if a heart in a body.

"That ore is thick, Rocket," Gamora states worriedly.

"We got it covered," he retorts as he and Peter gather all laser-based weapons. "Red! Find me a soft spot!" Rocket calls. Her and Yondu hurriedly comply, flying about in search.

"We must hurry! It will not take Ego long to find us!" Mantis warns.

They find a spot. "Keep it steady!" Rocket calls. He and Peter charge up…then shoot.

"We drill into the center, we kill him," Peter states, eager to end Ego in the most painful way there was.

But Petra didn't know that he was the one who'd ended her poor mother's life…Had she known, she wouldn't have been feeling that pit of guilt in her stomach, twisting her out, even with the knowledge of Ego being a killer…he was still her dad...

A swooshing on the radio re-attracts her, and everyone else's, attention. Kraglin voice roughly sounds in. _"Captain?"_

"What is it, Kraglin?" Yondu retorted impatiently.

 _"_ _Hey, remember that Ayesha chick?"_ Kraglin asks. Everyone grows tense and warry.

"…Yeah…Why?" Yondu asks worriedly.

In that same **second** , Yondu catches sight of hundreds of mini Sovereign drones coming their way.

"Oh **hell**!" he exclaims.

XXXXXXXXXX


	48. 45: Quite The Situation

"For fuck's sake!" Rocket shouts furiously at the new pursuers. Him and Peter noted that the laser-beams were now jammed! Petra and Yondu try their best to avoid taking fire!

On a sharp turn, the three: Drax, Gamora, and Mantis, fall out of the hole! The others don't notice.

"Why aren't you guys firing?!" Petra asks Rocket and Peter.  
"They blew out the generators!" Peter replies angrily.  
"It's alright, I think I got an extra set of explosives!" Rocket states, putting Groot on the chair and moving out. He looks to see no one but Nebula. "Where the heck is everybody else?!" he asks in shock.  
"They fell out," Nebula replies. Peter turns wide-eyed at that.  
"Bullshit! You ****pushed**** them out!" Rocket accuses.

XXXXX

"Okay. I need to get down there," Petra states upon hearing the yelling. "Can you hold here?" she asks Yondu.  
"Yeah. Go," he nods firmly.

About to climb down, Yondu speaks. "And Peta," he calls. She stops, locking eyes with his. "…Be careful," he says. Her eyes soften, and she smiles, nodding firmly, then she moves.

XXXXX

"I told you; they're ****okay****!" Nebula yells.  
"Well, excuse ****me**** if I don't take a murder's word for it!" Rocket shouts back.  
"That's rich, coming from a petty ****thief****!" Nebula retorts.

They were stood face to face, fists clenched and ready to charge. Petra rushes to stand between them. "Enough!" she demands. They stop. "Rocket. Come help me find the explosives," she says, turning to him. "And Nebula. You can either stand around, or do something useful," she tells her firmly. Rocket eyes Petra warily. Was she trying to get herself killed, speaking to that sociopath that way?! He readies himself to move in case Nebula decided to strike.

Nebula stubbornly does not reply, shooting another glare at Rocket, who was eyeing her with equal distrust.

Petra grasps Rocket's hand and pulls him towards their stuff. Groot eyes them from the chair, and Peter rises after them after giving up on trying to fire back the generators.

Petra and Rocket hastily begin working on putting together a powerful but small bomb. "Is that thing strong enough to kill Ego?" Peter asks them.  
"Probably…" Petra replies shortly. Rocket glances worriedly at her somehow empty tone. Peter furrows his eyebrows.  
"Probably?!" he asks in mock. After taking a minute to assess her emotional state, Rocket turns from observing Petra, to Peter as he explained.  
"If it is, it'll cause a chain-reaction throughout his entire nervous system."  
"Meaning what?" Peter asks, still confused as he put on an Aero-rig.  
"Meaning the entire planet will explode," Petra replies grimly. Peter widens his eyes at her. Rocket nods, also worried of so happening.  
"We'll have to get out of here fast. We rigged a timer," Rocket replies, rising. Peter nods as well, more assured with the semi-plan.

Rocket, Petra, and Groot put on Aero-rigs as well, then follow Peter out of the ship. Nebula slips behind and climbs up to Yondu, stubbornly seeing if she could help so that they would all miraculously make it out alive.

With Proto-orbs activated, the four with Aero-rigs fly about in attempt to safely reach the core.

Alas doing so, they are in dismay inside one of the cores many holes.

Petra's body aches. She coughs dust, and opens her eyes to Rocket's face. Her senses kick in, and she feels him beneath her.

He, in a similar state, looks up to see her, and finds it in him to smirk. "Well, hello there, beautiful," he greets haughtily. She laughs out, eyeing him admirably for the comfort he almost always seemed capable of making her feel just by being around.

They hear a giggle and see Groot rush towards them, throwing himself onto Petra's back for a group huddle. The parents huff in pain at the contact, but laugh out nevertheless.

Peter rises from the floor, stretching his aching back, certain he could hear a bone or two creak. He then turned to the three of them on the floor and smirked. "Not that this isn't the perfect time for a break, except…it's ****not**** ," he scolds. "Come on, guys. Up!"

They lazily rise. Petra turns on a flashlight. She squints and eyes around. "The metal's too thick. For the bomb to work, we'd actually need to place it on Ego's core, but…" she furrows her eyebrows worriedly.  
"But our fats butts ain't gonna fit through those tiny holes," Rocket finishes for her. Peter considers this. Petra cocks an eyebrow at Rocket.  
"Whose butt are you calling fat?!" she asks, placing an expectant hand on her hip. Groot smirks. Rocket's eyes widen.  
"Oh no, honey. I didn't…I love your butt," he hurriedly, yet honestly, says. She smirks. Peter rolls his eyes.  
"Guys. Focus. What do we do?" he asks seriously. The others turn to him. Rocket sighs, unable to find an easy answer. Petra furrows her eyebrows in deep thought, crossing her arms.

Then,

Groot's eyes light up, and mouth falls agape. He rushes back to them. "I am Groot! (I can go!) I am Groot! (I can fit!)" he says, bouncing up and down. The others widen their eyes, then Rocket speaks.  
"No. Absolutely not," he says.  
"It's too dangerous, honey," Petra softly tells.  
"I (But-)" Groot tries.  
"Yeah. They're right, buddy," Peter adds, hands on his hips.  
"I (But!)"  
"Groot, it's not open for discussion!" Rocket firmly says.

Groot bubbles up with frustration.

Overprotective.

They could get so…overprotective.

And this sure as hell wasn't the time!

"I am Groot! (Will you just listen!)"

he shouts.

The three opposite him grow silent.

The look in their eyes was one of shock, disapproval, and hostility.

Groot notes his tone was out of line, and shrinks in shame.

"I…am Groot. (I'm…sorry.)" he utters sorrowfully. Their eyes soften on him. Petra heads to kneel beside him, talk some sense into him, but he would still speak his mind! "I am Groot! (It's just! We're in danger!) I am Groot! (And I can help!) I am Groot. (Then, we ****won't**** be in danger.)

I am Groot…(Let me help…)"

A moment passes.

They hear commotion.

Rocket and Peter glance outside to find their friends in trouble.

Everyone's panic rises.

Peter turns to Rocket and Petra with pleading eyes.

They turn to one another worriedly, the concern still high.

But it would be higher if they did nothing.

The person they were trying to protect, would be more at risk.

Rocket glances at Groot eyeing him with anticipation, then looks to Petra once more for assurance.

With conflicted eyes, she gives an uncertain nod of desperation.

Rocket deeply inhales.

Peter's and Groot's eyes lighten up.

Rocket nods.

Peter sighs in slight relief at the semi-plan.

Groot grins.

"Alright, fine! Fine!" Rocket alas lets out. Petra turns to Groot, mind piecing together instructions and warnings, as well as encouragements. Rocket approaches her to do the same.

Peter brings his mask down onto his face, and pulls his blasters out from his hostlers. "Okay," he starts. "You guys take care of this, I'll go help the others deal with Ego and Ayesha. I'll be back to check on things."  
"Yeah! Yeah!" Rocket waves off impatiently.  
"Be careful!" Petra yells after his departing figure as he flew off.

The two then turn to Groot.

XXXXX

"Okay. First, you flick this switch. Then this switch. That activates it," Rocket explains the bomb to Groot as, from behind Groot, Petra fastens his gear and Proto-orb. "Then, you push ****this**** button," Rocket says with a heavier tone. Groot looks up. _'_ _ _Shit! What was he saying?!'__ he thinks. "Which will give you ****five**** minutes to get out. Now, whatever you do, ****don't**** push this button, because that will set off the bomb immediately and we'll all be dead!" _'_ _ _What did he say before that?!'__ "Now. Repeat back what I just said." _'_ _ _Shit! Shit! Shit!'__  
"Ieee am Groot? (Uhhh, flick this switch?)" he guessed.  
"Mhm," Rocket nodded in approval.  
"I…am Groot? (Then…press this button?)" Anger flashes in Rocket's eyes. Groot winces.  
"No!" Rocket exclaims. Petra momentarily glances at him.  
"I am Groot! (I mean this button!)"  
"No! That's the button that'll kill everybody!" Rocket shouts fearfully, keeping his hands above the button as barriers. Groot winces again.  
"Calmly…" Petra tells Rocket. Rocket glares at her placidness, wondering how she was so calm in such a catastrophic, pressured situation!  
"Will, be my guest!" Rocket offers her irritably. She cocks a daring eyebrow.  
"Okay," she says slyly, rising to move beside Rocket.

She sweetly smiles at Groot, then speaks. "Okay, baby. Repeat after me. One, two, don't press the ugly button," she gestured to the positions on the device. Groot firmly nods.  
"I am Groot. I am Groot. (One, two, then press the ugly button.)"  
"No!" Rocket and Petra yell in unison.  
"I am Groot! (I mean don't press the ugly button!)" he quickly corrects. Petra worriedly inhales, and Rocket groans, burying his head in his hands.

"How's it going in there?!" Peter calls from outside.  
"Will you keep to yourself?!" Rocket retorts. Peter furrows his eyebrows at Rocket's crappy tone.  
"Hey, what're you yellin' at me for?!" he asks irritably. After furiously rummaging through her pouch, Petra touches Rocket's shoulder. He turns to her.  
"Do you got any tape?" she asks.  
"Why?" he asks suspiciously.  
"I wanna put some tape over the death-button." Rocket lightens up at the idea.  
"That's a good idea," he says. He searches himself, just as furiously coming out empty handed. "Shit!" _'_ _ _How the fuck do we not have tape?!'__ Petra wonders, eyeing the bomb angrily as Groot stood across it with a look of deep thought on his face that none noticed. "Quill!" Rocket loudly calls. Peter reappears at the hole he was speaking to them from.  
"What?!"  
"I need you to get us tape! Ask around! We need tape asap!" he tells. Though confused, Peter complies.  
"Well, I don't have any tape, but let me check!" he heads off.  
"I am Groot! (Really! I get it now!)" Groot tells desperately.  
"No talking!" Rocket retorts, falling back onto a rock, furious as it is. Petra sighs at his attitude and placidly turns to Groot, who huffed and had his arms crossed.  
"We know, honey, but just in case," she explains, settling tiredly on the ground and brushing a hand through her hair.

Upon observing her for only a few seconds, Rocket feels little relief seep through him. He smirks at her. "No offense, Red," he starts. She curiously turns to him. "But your dad is a complete douchebag." Not expecting that, she grins, then laughs out. Rocket chuckles in amusement. Petra eyes Rocket intently.  
"None taken," she assures, before laughing once more.

Groot cannot hear them, deep in thought once again. His eyes then light up, and his train of thoughts is interrupted by Peter's return.

As Peter stated that he was unable to find tape, starting an unnecessary argument with Rocket that, as Petra tried to stop, Groot quietly and stealthily got hold of the bomb…

and ran off…

XXXXX

"That is exactly my point! ****We**** have to do everything!" Rocket shouts.  
"You are wasting ****a lot**** of time here!" Peter retorts, tiredly flying off.  
"Rocket," Petra calls, eyes wide in fear.  
" ** **I'm**** wasting time?!" Rocket calls furiously.  
"Rocket!" Petra shouts.  
" ** **What****?!"

He looks where she was looking…

The bomb…

and Groot…

were gone.

"…We're all gonna die…" Rocket utters half-sarcastic half-terrified. Petra turns in shock at his words, disliking them even as a joke. She knows it's just how he is though, and she doesn't always have to like it. She rolls her eyes and rises to her feet.  
"Come on," she beckons him.

The two head to one of the many holes, the closest, and Petra calls. "Groot! Can you hear me?"  
"Groot, if you can hear us, get the hell back here!" Rocket exclaims.

Inside, Groot halts. Hesitantly, he replies. "I am Groot. (No! I'm know what I'm doing!)" His voice echoes back to them. Frustration boils up in Rocket. Knowing he would snap, Petra quickly speaks.  
"Groot! Repeat it back to me!" Petra calls.  
"I am Groot. I am Groot. (One, two, then ****don't**** press the ugly button.)" he replies confidently. At that, Rocket relaxes, and Petra smiles.  
"That's right, baby…Be careful in there," she tells, extreme worry suddenly seeping in.  
"If it gets too crappy in there, run back out, you hear?! And don't forget to buzz us when you're out!" Rocket adds, getting the same feeling.  
"I am Groot! (Okay, bye!)"

That lone word hit them both hard.

They turned to one another, and could each see their concern in each another's eyes.

Louder shouts and shooting outside snap them out of it. They look in the noise's direction. "Sounds like they're getting their asses kicked," Rocket states.  
"We should go help. Groot'll hit the panic button when he's out," Petra retorts.

And they head out...

XXXXXXXXXX


	49. 46: All For One

Rocket and Petra miraculously dodge an immense amount of fire, and retort some in the process.

With difficulty, they make their way down to where they could see Gamora, Drax, and Mantis, who was seemingly holding back Ego's power all by her freaking self!

"Goddamn, antenna. You're tougher than you look!" Rocket exclaims, impressed. The others are too worried about the possibility of Mantis losing her grip and letting loose ego once more, but Mantis finds it in her to turn and smile at Rocket. "Thank you," she says.

"You're freaking welcome."

Petra eyes Manti's weary face with concern. "Are you okay? Is it too much?" Petra asks, heading to kneel beside her. Mantis shakes her head firmly. "No. I'm fine. I must do this," she says determinedly. Drax eyes her persistence admirably. The rest, including Rocket, remain worried.

Uncertain what to do to help, and knowing she can't ask, and didn't want her, to stop, she places a hand on her shoulder, and smiles at her. "You're doing great," she encourages. Mantis smiles despite the excessive pain she was in.

Up top, Nebula had helped Yondu bring the generators back up. Peter was fighting the Sovereigns from within the ship as well.

A sudden surge of power courses from Nebula's own biological engine through the generators and to the scattered, lethal laser beams.

They fire

and,

literally,

destroy **all**

of the remaining Sovereign ships.

At the sudden shift, the Guardians below look up in fear, and amazement.

A laser beam slices its way through the ground, and Rocket and Gamora insure that no one is harmed.

Then…

the ship

lights up in flame…

and **explodes**!

"Holy shit!" Rocket exclaims in shock.

"No!" Petra rushes to her feet.

"Peter!" Gamora shouts in fear. Drax stands, still trying to believe the scene. Mantis is unable to concentrate on anything but the throbbing pain. She could feel herself slipping away.

The rest don't seem to care anymore…

All they could see…

was fire…

…

…Then…

comes down

Nebula, on her feet

and

soon after

Yondu with his arrow

and Peter, with his Aero-rig

both gracefully floating down with an ironic, catastrophic scene in the background.

Everyone breathes a sigh of relief.

Everyone smiles, and Gamora's heart rises back to her chest.

There is no time for a happy union when a piece of debris shoots down and knocks Mantis out…

releasing

 **him**.

"Mantis! Look out!" Drax **yells** after she's been hit, causing the others to eye him perplexedly.

A light beams from Mantis's spot all around, spreading, a signal

that he

was awake.

The others warily eye about,

waiting,

readying.

The place begins to fall apart around them, as if moving.

"She's just unconscious," Petra says to Drax, re-attracting the others' attention, as he scoops Mantis up.

"How long until the bomb goes off?" Peter asks Rocket.

"In the unlikely event that Groot doesn't kill us all, about six minutes," he replies. Petra shoots him a glare.

A loud rumbling emits as the ceiling longitudinally above cracks open.

"Kraglin! We need the Quadrant for extraction! T-minus five minutes!" Yondu calls through.

 _"_ _Aye, captain!"_ Kraglin replies.

"Somebody's gotta be up top when Kraglin arrives! Drax! Take Mantis!" Peter says, placing his own Aero-rig on Drax's back and activating it. Once it activated and closed around Drax, pulling him off the ground, he shouted:

"My nipples!" in pain. Rocket snickered at that as he counted his remaining, useful equipment.

The ground beneath them begins to disassemble. In the panic, Gamora slips through. The Guardians rush towards her. Peter falls to the ground, but is unable, last minute, to snatch her hand, to save her!

She falls.

He just gave his Aero-rig to Drax!

No problem. The team's got each other's back.

Rocket flies after her just as Petra was about to.

No offense to Petra, but Gamora was too heavy for her.

Rocket grasps her hand, groaning in pain at how heavy she was. Fortunately, it was all muscle. They land, more fall, on a nearby pillar, one of the many somehow ascending ones.

Up top, Peter, Petra, and Yondu, watch as Ego appears as a giant, glowing face through the mountain rock, with tentacles spreading out!

Without them noticing, Nebula jumps down after her sister and Rocket.

Rocket and Nebula catch sight of her falling towards them. Their eyes go wide. Rocket hurriedly zooms towards her.

Grabbing her, he is overcome, and they both tumble semi-safely to the ground with him cursing.

"Why are you both so heavy?!" he lets out as Gamora helps him to his feet, then Nebula, eyeing her with gratitude for caring enough to follow, Nebula is busy arguing with Rocket.

"I didn't need your saving!" she exclaims.

"I'm sorry, can you fly?!" he retorts.

"Rocket!" Gamora yells to get his attention.

"What?!"

"They need you back up there!" Realization suddenly slaps him across the face.

"Right!" he exclaims. He then looks to Gamora. "You good here?"

"Go!" she nods.

He flies off.

XXXXX

flying,

shooting,

trying not to get hit,

is all the three above seemed capable of doing as Ego tormented and taunted them.

Rocket soon joined the cruel game.

 **"** **Come now, Peter. I know this isn't what you want. What kind of father would I be if I let you make this choice?"** said Ego.

"Seriously?!" Petra exclaims, causing Ego's face to turn to her. "You have the decency to call yourself our dad?!"

Ego smirks.

 **"** **You, daughter, have potential. Soon, there will be nothing but the three of us,"** he says.

More tentacles rise after them, more than the two dozen already about!

 **"** **SO. STOP. PISSING. ME. OFF!"** he finishes.

Seeing no hope in Peter's allegiance, Ego, after throwing aside all but Petra, materializes back into his human form, and walks towards her, she who was still fighting off the tentacles.

 **"** **It is in you too, Petra,"** he says, slithering a tentacle behind her. The three shout out warnings as loud as they could, but it was too late, Ego had impaled her with one, not physically, but she was then suspended in the air, power draining from her blood. **"The universe, has bestowed a purpose upon us, and if your brother cannot see sense, perhaps you can."**

"Let her go, you son of a bitch!" Rocket wrathfully shouts. The tentacles around him squeeze him shut.

"Damn it!" Yondu yells at his inability to move from the piles of rock smothering him.

"Petra!" Peter, who was held down, called. She is unable to look at him, unable to even scream, but he knows she can hear him.

"He

killed

mom…"

…

Rocket's eyes go wide.

Yondu's eyes go wide.

And Petra?

She couldn't describe it,

but it was a feeling

she'd **never** felt before.

This pure,

 **menacing**

 **rage**.

This

 **hatred**.

This **power**.

This **incredible** power,

to break **free**.

To **fight**.

To get

 **revenge**.

With little pain, and little difficulty, she grasped the tentacle, broke it, walked off its remains, and, treaded towards Ego with a look intent to kill.

She thought it, it happened.

Before she knew it, she was charging, floating **off** the floor, towards and **into** Ego, throwing fists, and punches, and curses all at once as she went as far as **flying** off with him **into** ever other wall and pillar!

The others were let loose. The three hurriedly shuffled to their feet. Yondu was impressed and proud. Rocket was going out of his mind with worry. Peter was suddenly aware that he could join her.

"We gotta help her," Rocket states. Yondu doesn't see why. Peter agrees.

"You guys can't. I can. Rocket. Go get Groot. Get to the ship. Yondu, you too."

"But-" Rocket tried.

"There's no time. Go. Trust me," Peter insisted.

Reluctantly, Rocket flew off.

Peter readied himself.

"Remember boy, I don't use my head when I fly the arrow…

I use my heart…"

Yondu tells.

Peter smiles at him, all-too-suddenly feeling his control over his power grow.

And he flew off too.

XXXXXXXXXX


	50. 47: Fallen Pillars

After getting Groot, Rocket heads off to Yondu, looking up to see that the Quills were still holding off Ego.

"Yondu we gotta go. It'll be ugly, But I can probably carry you up," he stated.  
"No. I can't go, fur. I gotta stay. Make sure they're okay," Yondu replies firmly.

Hearing this, the hesitance to leave is clear on Rocket's face, so Yondu speaks. "You gotta go, fur. Take care of your kid.

I'll take care of mine."

Rocket takes this in, and eyes Yondu with a look of complete understanding…

and regret.

He floated down, dug into his pockets. "Spacesuits, and Aero-rigs. I only got two of each," he said, handing them to Yondu.

About to fly off, Yondu calls him back. He turns. "If I don't make it…take care of my little girl…"

Hearing this, Rocket chocks up. "Quit talking nonsense, Udonta. Petra's got a spacesuit. And you've got one for Quill, and one for you. I'll see you on the other side," he insists, flying off with a salute.

Yondu smirks.

XXXXX

Boom!

Smash!

Crash!

Kapow!

Ego was almost out of breath!

On last minute, Peter had decided to, of all things, transform into a giant Pacman, as Ego had transformed into a larger version of himself, and Petra, only seeing red, transformed into a giant knife!

One final earth-shaking crash, the three tumbled to the ground.

Panicked at the fact that the bomb was about to go off, Ego tries to rise and stop it, only to be shoved right back down to the ground by both furious Quills.

He tries to reason with them.

"Stop! Stop. Listen to me!" He grabs them both. "You are ****gods****! If you kill me, you'll be just like everybody else!"

Petra shakes her head at the ridiculousness of his words.

"And what's so wrong with that?" Peter retorts.

…

…

And the bomb goes off…

Ego melts in their arm.

Nothing but particles.

Nothing now…

…

The siblings rise.

They turn to one another, and embrace in relief, leaning on each other for support, both physical and emotional.

They then part, and eye about at the falling empire.

They began to panic. Neither had Aero-rigs. Petra had lost all her gear. Peter gave his to Drax.

What would they do?

Then, like all father's

Yondu came to their rescue…

A hero…to his children.

After attaching an Aero-rig to Peter, he grasps Petra, and flies off with both.

"He may have been your father, but he wasn't your daddy," Yondu smirked at them.

They smiled.

"Peta, you got a suit?" Yondu then asks as they further approach the void that was space. She panics again.  
"No. I lost all my gear in the fight!"  
"Me too," Peter states in fear.

Yondu softly smiles.

"It's okay. Your boyfriend gave me spares," he said, attaching one to each of them as they smirked knowingly at Rocket's consideration.

Then, he continued…

"…I'm sorry I didn't do none of it right…I'm damn lucky you're my kids…" he says, bearing tears to Petra's eyes. She was already emotionally unbalanced after having killed her father with her own hands…She needed to hear Yondu's words.

However, suddenly, Peter seemed to see through what Yondu's words meant…

"What?" he asks in denial.

He sees tears glister in Yondu's eyes.

They breach the atmosphere…

"Yondu…What are you doing?" Petra asks, realizing what was happening as well.  
"You can't!" Peter exclaims.

The two start to claw at their spacesuits to deactivate them to save him! But he pushes them in each other's arms, and floats away.

"Yondu!" they exclaim, Peter grasping Petra and about to fly after him.

Yondu wearily puts up a hand, and eyes Peter intently in warning.

As if getting the message, Peter stops…

and holds Petra closely.

"No! Peter, what are you doing?! We have to help him!" she yells through her suit.

Peter does not reply, tears streaming down his face.

"Peter!" she screams and cries, kicking at him, but he holds her firmly still, till Yondu breathes his last breath…and she gives in… "No!...

No…"

…

XXXXXXXXXX


	51. 48: Legends Never Die

"…I told Gamora…how…when I was a kid…I used to pretend that David Hasselhoff was my dad…" Peter spoke, in tears.

Rocket rubbed up and down Petra's arm as she cried silently into his chest. Groot gripped his hand on the other side. Gamora stood by Peter's side, firm hand on his shoulder for support. Drax, Mantis, Kraglin, and Nebula in the corner, respectfully stood.

They all surrounded Yondu's body…

one last time…

"Earlier…it struck me…Yondu didn't have a talking car, but he did have a flying arrow…He didn't have the beautiful voice of an angel, but he did have the whistle of one…Both Yondu, and David Hasselhoff went on kick-ass adventures…and hooked up with hot women…and fought robots…I guess David Hasselhoff did kind of end up being our dad after all," he spoke the last sentence specifically to his sister who, despite silently falling apart, listened to his every word. "Only it was Yondu…We had a pretty cool dad…" he smiled at her…

and she smiled back…

"What I'm trying to say here is, sometimes that thing you're searching for your whole life…is right there by your side all along…

You don't even know it…"

…At that, Nebula walks away…

…Gamora follows after her…

Drax moves with Mantis away to give them space as Kraglin pushed Yondu's body to the incinerator, furthering Petra's crying. Peter slowly walks to her and takes her in his arms. Rocket holds Groot, who was silently crying, closely to him.

Peter then pulls away and holds her face between his palms. "He loved us…and he knows we loved him too…" he tells her firmly. She smiles through her teary eyes, and hugs him again.

Peter then, after returning Petra safely to Rocket's arms, takes his leave.

"Come on…" Rocket beckons Petra… "There's something I wanna show you…" he softly tells her.

She wordlessly complies. He pulls Groot along.

They head up to the navigation deck, and stop.

"What?" she hoarsely asks in confusion as they simply stood.

"Just wait," he told.

…

…

Then…

They saw it…

The Colors of Ogord…

From around the ship, the Guardians gathered to watch, all but Nebula, who had taken her leave after vowing revenge against Thanos for torturing her all those years, and bidding Gamora farewell.

Petra looks to Rocket in shock. "You called them?" she asked, referring to the true Ravagers who emitted said lights, a true, honorable Ravager funeral.

"Mhm," Rocket smirks. Petra smiles brightly at him in gratitude. He paces a light kiss on her head.

XXXXX

The Ravagers then invite the Guardians out for drinks. Each group swapped their known stories about Yondu in remembrance.

It was soon realized by many, that his stories would forever live on…

immortalizing his legacy…

forever…

XXXXXXXXXX


	52. Author's Note 3

Okay, so I know its short, but for most of the movie, the Guardians are divided, and since we're mainly focused on Rocket and Petra, that cuts the movie into half, which makes it pretty short.

Nevertheless, it feels good filling in the movies my own way. Hope you guys enjoyed it!

Wondering what's next?

Take a guess...

...

...

Avengers: Infinity War!

Okay, bear in mind that my version will be amazingly different. It will barely relate to the actual movie, but it will be great!

However, in order to catch up to what would happen, it'd be wise for you to read my Loki, and Tony OCs, which will be directly involved with my version of Infinity War, which will most likely be its own book.

You don't have to read the other two, I will sum up the important stuff in the Infinity War book before we start it, but you won't enjoy it as much if you don't connect with the other two OCs. Consider it a sequel...to all three books XD. You can't read a sequel without reading what was before it, and the three books: 'The You I See', 'The Choices We Make', and 'Knights In Shining Armor', are what's before it. The other two are still under work.

Thanks for taking the time to read this! Don't forget to heart and leave a comment, I love hearing your opinions!

P.S: Small updates are me fixing things.

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